though i haven’t been posting, i have continued my training.  i’m proud to say that i’m halfway through week four (more than 1/3 of the way done!) and i haven’t skipped or shortchanged a run yet.  go me!  as indicated by my last post, i was having a pretty tough time with my out-of-town training but i kept up with it.  i think that first run down there where i was so super fast (for me) might have caused a bit of injury to my legs.  nothing severe but enough to make my training highly uncomfortable for the rest of that week.  my six miler was torturous and my 5k with family was nothing to write home about.  however, the really bad part was spending the day walking/standing around disney after running a total of 15k the night before and morning of.  by the end of the night, after a particularly long wait in line, my feet were screaming for some rest.  when i got back home, i decided to back off and stop pushing and just train comfortably.  happily, this has made for some great runs.  my eight miler over the weekend was possibly the best run i’ve ever had.  i woke up dreading it but it was perfect.  i didn’t push, never got winded, and still managed a 13:15 average pace.   the weather was very cooperative, which was very helpful – even though it was crystal clear and sunny, the temperature was 30 when we started and 40 when we finished so the sun kept me from being cold and the cold kept me from baking in the sun.  truly, we need more days like that.  when i finished my eight miles, i could have easily kept going and i managed a very nice .2 mile sprint to finish it out.  moreover, i haven’t been in any pain since coming home.  last year, i ate motrin like candy the whole time i was training.  for those first two weeks this year, more of the same.  this past week and a half i haven’t had any need for it.  of course, things are always subject to change but right now i feel i’ve come to terms with my running and we have a cordial understanding.  i won’t push it, and it won’t make me cry anymore.