Last night I told my husband that when the alarm went off at 4:25, I needed to get up. If I didn't get up, he was to proceed with annoying me all the way out of bed, if necessary. Shockingly, it wasn't necessary. The alarm went off and I didn't even think of turning over for more sleep.
I rushed through my morning routine, because I had calculated that if I got out of the house before 4:45, then if I was feeling good at my planned 33 minutes, then I would have time to go for the long run of 41 minutes for the week. I looooove getting the long run in early in the week because it takes all the pressure off of the weekend run.
Yesterday when I stepped outside, I regretted not running because the weather was so nice - probably in the 60's. I only hope that this morning would be as nice, and it was! I was actually chilly during my warm-up walk.
I decided to do 3 large loops for 33-35 minutes, and then I could run up the hill and tack on an out and back spur for the remaining minutes. Of course, if I felt like going past the 33 minutes.
The first loop (approx. 1.1 mile) went really well. I was concentrating on trying to engage my core and run with better posture. The second loop, as always, was the most difficult to get through. I tried to focus on strengthening my mental resolve, because it isn't physical issues that make that second mile so hard. Then the third loop was gravy, because I knew I was on the home stretch. I decided to go for the long run. The run up the hill was tough, then the out of the spur was easy (slightly downhill), and on the back I tried to run hard for the last 2.5 minutes. Here I focused on engaging my core, lengthening through my torso, shoulders back, and increasing my turnover, which gets progressively slower throughout my runs.
Preston drove by during my cooldown walk, so I was able to kiss him goodbye and wish him a good day. Then I tried getting my heart rate. I need to work on this! I took off my watch so I could push the button to light it up with my left hand, and found my pulse with my right hand. Apparently the light only stays on for 2ish seconds, and when my focus would switch to lighting it back up, I'd lose count of my pulse! Anyways, after a few tries, I got something around 200-210. Not bad for a max HR, but I should try measuring it a few more workouts to get a better reading.
The parentals are coming in tonight to stay until Saturday. I tend to be good about running when they're around. *fingers crossed*
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