Catching Up

I am so lost with my own blog I don't know where to start!

This week's miles: 11

Last week's total miles: 8.1!! How awful is that - especially since I was well and uninjured! Honestly, I don't feel the least bit bad about it. I need some weeks where running takes the back seat. Balance - always balance!

Friday I met a couple of girls for speedwork. Our plan called for 3 1600s. It was windy and chilly but I was going to give them all I had. I ended up with one at 7:47, one at 7:44 and one I'm not sure about (I forgot to hit the lap button after our 1/2 mile warm-up - I know the second half was in 4:02, but I am not sure what the first half of the 1600 was).

Saturday was the launch "party" for the new running group that I a part of at the "other Y". We are working with runners* to accomplish a new distance or improve on an old one for the Gasparilla Distance races (5k, 15k, 1/2 marathon and marathon). To get an idea of where the runners are right now (and help them set goal paces for repeats and tempo runs) we had them do a 5k time trial. I was in charge of timing so I wasn't running it myself. Since that was mid-morning (well, a runner's version of mid-morning - 7:30) and I had football all day, I didn't get to squeeze in my own run. *Here I should note that *I* am not really training anyone, my bootcamp instructor (a certified coach) is, my job is more to be the cheerleader :).

Sunday was the 5k run for my Super Strider kids. What a wonderful day of running! My kids did AWESOME - they set wonderful, realistic goals and accomplished them - some even placing in their age groups! Most importantly, they all ran with smiles and finished smiling too. It was a great day to be a coach. In the accompanying half marathon, Jenny got yet another sub 1:50 on what she had dubbed a "training run". It was one of those gorgeous, beautiful days just made for running, and everyone seized it and made it theirs. It was great. BUT, short of the running I did out to the course and back in with some of the kids (which probably accounted for at least 3 miles!), I didn't get a formal run in. After that, the family headed to the Bucs game! (GO BUCS!) I think all the jumping up and down and high-fiving I did there counts for some exercise, too. Yes, we won finally, and yes, I'm going to make the most of these 6 victorious days following the W because heaven knows there's no guarantee we'll have another this season...

On to Monday where we had our 1-mile PT test in boot camp. My goal was to break 7:30 and FINALLY, I did! I got 7:29 - not a hair more than breaking 7:30 but it's broken just the same. My Garmin was its usual 7 seconds short and recorded my mile at 7:22.

This morning I got together with one of the boot camp half marathoners and a couple of other girls and we headed out for a muggy 10 miles. I was super comfortable the whole run and that felt awesome! Ida (the storm) was churning away in the Gulf and brought a lot of wind and some humid, tropical air but it wasn't unbearable. I was just happy to get 10 miles done since my running had been so minimal last week.

I was supposed to meet the Gasparilla training group for speed work but the rain bands that came ashore this evening postponed that. We'll do it Thursday instead.