Saturday, May 1, 2010

I Do What It Takes

Friday’s Run (4/30/2010)

I am not above bribery to make myself go running.

I knew it was going to be a long day at work, but I really didn’t want to use that as an excuse not to go running.  My last run was on Sunday, almost a week ago, and I had hoped to get another run in before the weekend.  One of my short-term goals is to ease myself back into running so that I can build up my running distance to about 5 or 6 miles per run.  This goal is part of a longer-term goal that I want to write about in more detail in the near future, so suffice to say that I’m doing short, easy runs that I’ll gradually lengthen.  I’m also doing a lot of cross-training because I’ve fallen in love with the fun of being able to bike and swim whenever I want.  I’ve never had that kind of flexibility before, and I’m living it up.

I decided the best way to get myself ready to run would be to unwind for a little bit.  Laying on the floor seemed like an excellent idea, so I did.

I Love Laying on the Floor

Then I made myself a small snack.  I am crazy about Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers.  They’re sweet and crumbly and just perfect with peanut butter.  (They’re also great with a salty cheese or a smear of cream cheese topped with strawberries—instant cheesecake!  Yum.)

Bribery 

And with this snack in my belly, I was out the door.  My runs will be short and easy for the next month or two, and tonight’s run was 20 minutes: 2 10-minute sets with a 5-minute walking break between the sets.  It was a very humid night, but because I left around 8 PM to run, the heat had faded a little bit.  The first 10-minute set was hard as my lungs worked to keep up with my legs, but the second 10-minute set felt great.  I find it’s often the case the my legs and my lungs are not equally matched: on days my legs are exhausted, my lungs are feeling great.  On days that my legs are well-rested and fresh, my lungs are a little more taxed by the effort.  The days when they come together and work in perfect harmony are the best.

Overall, it was a great run: short and sweet with no pain.

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