Week of March 11, 2012:
Sunday: Long walk
Monday: Short run (first post-race run!)
Tuesday: Off (except for some crunches and stretching before bed)
After almost three days of rain—hard rain, soft rain, rain rain rain—the weather has turned beautiful here. The air smells gorgeous, perfumed with flowers and green things, and we have warmth again. Spring is my favorite season in Texas. It’s by far the most comfortable and exciting, as the temps climb back into the sweet spot. For me, it’s also a little bittersweet because spring’s lovely warmth will give way to summer’s oppressive heat. It’s the same feeling I have about autumn in the Midwest: autumn is beautiful, it smells fantastic, the food is awesome, and eventually autumn will be overtaken by winter’s brutal cold. With both seasons, I feel really inspired to seize the day, to enjoy every minute for what it’s worth.
Monday was beautiful, and I was ready for my first post-half-marathon run. I made it a short run, probably 20-25 minutes (I didn’t time it). I expected a pleasant, easy run, but it was HARD! My legs felt sluggish, and my body generally felt heavy and tired. I was really surprised by how difficult this “easy” run was, and all I can think is that this run was really more of a recovery run from the race.
I’m not sure I’ve ever run quite so soon after a half-marathon. For me, my half races have always marked the end of a training season. This year, my goal is to run outside as much as possible into the summer months, and I’m planning to run a 10K in Michigan in June. I took a week off from running after the Armadillo Dash, and I feel mentally ready to resume running. But I think this week, to be on the safe side, I’m going to keep my runs short and sweet.
PS I feel guilty that I have no photos of spring blossoms or sunshine in this post, but I’ve been feeling stretched thin by work and my wounded heart. I think this weekend will be a bit more relaxing and less dramatic for me (I really, really hope it is!), so my camera and I might get to spend some quality time together in a few days.
RA - I just caught up on the last few weeks of your blog. Evidently I missed some major news. I apologize for not being there (electronically) at the time. And I'm sending you mental HUGS right now!
ReplyDeleteAMPD
That's exciting news about the 10K in Michigan. I'm starting to keep my eyes open for a 10K or two to run this summer. I want to push myself to work a bit more on getting speedier and sustaining it. I think that is the best way.
ReplyDeleteI hope this next week is less stretched and that you can spend some more time with your camera and enjoying the spring. I hope the world is gentle to your heart this week, too.
Aw, thank you, AMPD! You are so kind. I'm doing okay these days; thankfully I'm feeling a lot more like myself now. Only time will tell what the next chapter of this story will be, and I'm making my peace with the situation. I don't often quote the Bible, but as someone wise wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind." Isn't that the truth?
ReplyDeleteYay for 10Ks, Raquelita! I think it sounds like an awesome distance, so I'm excited to try it myself. I hope you find some good races and they get you pumped to do some speedwork. And thank you for the kind wishes about the upcoming week. I think it's going to be a good week.