I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

I have really been lovin' running lately.  This was another great run.  And it was even better because I wasn't sure I was going to get outside to run it.

Had a limited amount of time, so I tried to push the pace so that I could get 8 miles in the 1:10 I had.  And I finished a little over 8 miles with 3 minutes to spare!

Avg. pace:  8:16.  It wasn't an easy pace, but it wasn't too difficult either. 

I feel so bad for my poor husband.  He was supposed to get to leave work early, but he didn't end up leaving until WAY later than usual (which is why I wasn't sure I would get to run outside).  There was a fight after school and he had to deal with it.  It seems like there's always something like this going on.  Last Friday he was breaking up a fight, and one of the kids (a girl, mind you) jumped on his back to try to get at the girl she was fighting.  And just to give you a visual:  my husband is a HUGE guy--former college linebacker, 6'4" and 275 pounds.  But some of these kids just don't think when they're fighting.  And if you might recall, in the fall some girl punched him in the face...

BUT there's a job opening at his old school that he is DYING to get.  I'm praying that he gets it.  They loved him there, but it seems that small schools (this one is about 400 kids) already have someone in mind for jobs they post.  We shall see. 

This was a lot slower than yesterday.  I just relaxed and went with it.  The wind felt more intense than yesterday, even though it wasn't, really.  The difference is that this was directly from the west, so I spent more time running directly into it.

Avg. 9:31 pace

My husband was sick (poor baby) so I decided to combine my two loves:  running and Illini basketball.  That way I could keep the kids out of his hair.  So I just stayed on the gazelle for the whole game (except during half-time, when I put the kids to bed).  It was probably a good idea to do this so that I could transition better from cross training miles to regular miles.  The last few weeks I've been more days inside than out, and this week I should be outside almost every day.

My heel isn't a fan of the gazelle.  Hopefully the weather cooperates and I'm almost done using it :)

I had just a bit over an hour to finish, so I did a progression.  I didn't get too fast towards the end, but tried to finish at around 8 min. pace for the last mile.  I think I was a little over.  I'm too lazy to get my watch.

I never see other runners out.  Possibly because of the odd time I run, possibly because all the area runners are on treadmills, possibly because I live in the midwest, where people would rather eat than exercise.  But I saw my first runner probably since summer.  I startled her when I passed her, so she probably doesn't usually encounter other runners either.

Sometimes I have these dreams where I am running and cannot get into a rhythm.  This morning that was a reality.  For the first .3 I was all off-kilter and my cadence was just...strange.

I had several factors working against me.  One was the early morning (got out at 4:40).  Another was the fact that I had finished my Thursday run just 10 hours before and my heel was screaming.  But the worst was that there was a nice sheen of ice on the road/sidewalk.

I eventually found my rhythm, but I never got out of first gear.  North/south roads were just a little slick, but east/west roads were more so.  I slid a couple times, but nothing too serious.  Throughout the run I had a hot and steamy love affair with 10 minute pace.

We're supposed to get some snow on top of this.  Tomorrow should be fun.  Class tonight, class tomorrow, so I will be morning running again tomorrow.

Lots of snow and wind.  Last night coming back from class I was only able to drive 40 on the interstate.  

I decided that before class I'd use the gazelle for a while (enough for 6 cross training miles) and then try to maybe get outside after class--maybe since it's Saturday people will shovel.  If it's still messy I'll do some more inside.

Okay, you're all going to laugh at me.  Right after class my husband and I did a trade off (he had to go supervise a basketball game) so I didn't get outside.  I planned on doing another hour on the Gazelle, and instead I stayed on it for the entire Illini game. 

This game was so exciting, I seriously don't think I'm going to be able to go to bed.  They looked great.  Won 78-73 against #5 Michigan State.  I was crapping my pants because it was a close one.  I was afraid to stop working out because I'm superstitious and I was afraid that they would start playing badly. 

I know that's lame, but I'm glad they won.  And I was working it pretty hard because I was so pumped :)