Inclines and moving forward

Let's see... the last I wrote, I was off to Vacaville with the kids to visit our uncle. We got there late Friday evening and didn't really discuss our running plan for the morning. So I think we all had different expectations as to what we would end up doing in the morning.

It ended up being a lazy morning. We didn't get up too early, but since it was cool, it was still good running weather. So we had some coffee our uncle had made and headed out for a run. Mistake #1... we ate nothing before we left!

We did our usual stretching and took off down the trail near my uncle's house. Since we had no way of knowing how far we would be running, I suggested that as long as we went out for a half hour and turned around for another half hour back, we would likely get in at least 4 miles. I had hoped to be up to 6 miles by now, but since we hadn't eaten, I was ok with just doing 4.

However, in addition to not having the energy because we hadn't eaten, we had also not really planned for what the trail would be like. I know the area where my uncle lives is somewhat hilly (is that a word?), but since I usually drive the area, not walk or run it, I didn't realize the difficulty on our attempt to run the 4 miles. (We've pretty much been running on flat surfaces.) While the incline of the hills was not really that extreme, after a mile or so, it was definitely noticeable. Dana and I became tired much faster than usual. (David can pretty much do anything :)) So, because we hadn't eaten either, Dana and I decided to walk the distance instead of pushing ourselves to run it. However, even from walking, my calves ended up feeling very tight for the rest of the day. I realized that my training going forward will need to include inclines. After all, the real half marathon will definitely have hills. Uh oh!

Anyway, when we got back, we all took our showers and our uncle took us out for a big breakfast! Yeah!

Since Saturday, I hadn't done any running until this evening (Wednesday). I have been quite distracted with other areas of my life. I'm looking for a new job, my sleeping hours are completely crazy, and raising the money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is starting to become a high priority. I'm ok because I have a very optimistic outlook, but I must admit this is a fairly distracting time for me.

Running definitely helps keep me in a positive mood though, so when I'm not feeling so good, training is actually the answer!

Tonight, my schedule ended up being a little tight, but since it had been many days since I last ran, I made sure to get to the gym to get in 4 miles. I'm still not at 6 miles, but I am still holding onto that goal for the very near future. After all, I'm half way through my training, with only 2 months to go!!

Tomorrow is the TNT Thursday training. I haven't been to those trainings in a couple of weeks, so I am looking forward to getting back to the coaching. Later...