I like Bananas!

Saturday is long run day in my training plan. This was a 2:00 run and I covered 12.61 miles in that time. Even though I train with my group, I often run by myself at times during these group runs.

Do you ever go into a run with a song in your head?
"I like bananas"
"I know that candy is sweet"
"I like papayas"
"But nothing can beat"
"The sweet, sweet love of God"

This was the song we all sang at church before our Children's Musical last Sunday.

I was tired and ready for next week's step back week. When I run distance by myself, I find my mind going to a lot of places. Books I read when I was a child, songs, things I have read. It is a lot easier to run when my head is full of good things.

Distance running is very mental. You spend a lot of time with what's in your head. It's important that it is good things.

My coach caught up with me for the end of my run. We talked about books, philosophy life, iPods and life in general. It's good to run with people, it's good to run alone with what's in your head too.

Cruddy Tempo Run

Boy, did I have problems with this one! I missed my Thursday tempo runs the last 2 weeks because we had to replace the microwave 1 week, and last week I experienced the worst part about being lactose intolerant and the consequences of not asking what was in something before I put it in my mouth.

So anyway the workout was 2 sets of 3 miles at tempo pace. I had trouble finding my pace, ran too hard at the beginning (again) and just felt super tired the whole time. It was certainly tempo effort, even in my mile splits didn't show it.

Yuck, some workouts you just want to be done! Glad this one is.

Swimming for me!

This is the first year I have incorporated swimming as cross training. This season I have been swimming nearly every Wednesday.

It starting to get easier--finally! I don't get to the end of the lap and gasp for breath like I'm running 400m repeats now. I swam fairly steadily for 30 minutes last night.

I like how this gives my legs a break. I alternate between 1 lap freestyle and 1 lap breaststroke. The breastroke kick seems like it really helps with my piriformis pains that remains after a pinched sciatic nerve.

Sadly the pool at the Y will be closed next week. I'm not sure if I'll go swim somewhere else.

If you like Pina Coladas!

How does the song go?
If you like Pina Coladas
And running hills in the rain!
If you're not into yoga
If you have half a brain...

Okay, taking license with the running hills part...and really I'd rather have a margarita, and I like Yoga...But I did run hills in the rain!

I've been dealing with some injuries and tonight they weren't bothering me. I had 6 consistent hill repeats. I talked my coach into having the group run another. She made me run it hard, but it was kind of fun--mostly because I knew I didn't have to do another one!

The skies opened up again right when we started our cool down and it was raining so hard and the lightning was so close that we pretty much sprinted back to our cars and were drippy wet soaked to the skin.

Came home and stretched. When I stretch at home, my dog thinks that any bending or sitting stretch means that you want to pet or play with her. It is fun, but maybe not as effective for stretching.