this was my big week, aka let’s-make-my-legs-despise-me week.  and it worked big time.  the nine miles actually wasn’t terrible.  i woke up and set out with a positive attitude.  i made a conscious decision to not worry about my time or my pace or anything else.  i was not going to push myself into another leg injury like my last niner.  i stayed slow and steady.  i walked when i needed to and didn’t feel guilty about it.  nine miles was three laps of the bridge.  each lap, there was a pod of dolphins playing in the bay to help entertain me.  i love living here.  hubby walked along side me while i ran.  yep, that’s how slow i am.  and i’m fine with it.  unfortunately, because i postponed last week’s long run until sunday, that meant that in order to rest my legs after, i had to run three consecutive days.  my body is not meant for such things and i tweaked something funky in my left leg.  it was like a knotted muscle right on top of my shin.  so this week’s long run will end up being pushed to sunday and messing up next week all over again.  i want my legs to have as much time and icing as they need to get over it. 

also of interest, hubby carried the gps to the park one night and we found that the loop i’ve been doing there is actually 1.12 miles.  this means that last week’s 7 miler was actually 7.84 which makes me feel much better about the time it took.  likewise, the nine miles i put in there this week was actually over ten. 

thankfully, this has been a slightly better week for running.  it still sucks and is hard but my attitude isn’t quite as negative as last week, when i was totally ready to give up on this 13.1.  the bridge run was actually a great run for me.  i ran 6ish miles in 1:18:30 which is really a great pace for me, especially all things considered.  i tried to force myself to stay semi-positive by smiling (or at least contorting my face into a smile-like-mask while bracing against the cold wind).  hubby stayed with me for most of it and, on the way back, scooter and train slowed down to trot with me too… it was the first time i’ve ever run in a pack on the bridge!!!  let me tell you, it so helps to have people around you and talking with you.  i even managed to finish the last .01 mile with a nice little sprint. 

as has become the norm, no long run this weekend due to <insert excuse here>.  This one happens to be my inability to breeve thanks to a nasty head cold.  thanks, health, for conspiring against my efforts to be more healthy.