Quick Recap of 3 Runs

Okay... so to continue from my last post (Doom and Gloom)..

I'll say upfront, I don't use my blog to write coherent thoughts and sensibility after I think through my feelings.  I want to log my raw reactions to not forget it was all candy and sausage when the training season is over.

Okay, now lets get the run recaps over.

Saturday: Easy paced 10 miles on plan. I got out around 5:15am.  My calves just felt like trash. Every step sucked. Sadly, this was an upgrade from yesterday.  I stopped to stretch at mile 1.2 and it seemed to help a tiny bit. I couldn't get my pace under 9 minutes for the first 3 miles. I was begging my legs just to give me the tip and let me move a little smoother. I just couldn't do it, I wanted to just say F it and toss this garbage of a run away.

Not even the garbage man wanted to deal with my trash

But I kept telling myself, just try to easy into this, at least heal up..there is no pace goal for these runs..

Fine, one mile at a time. I eventually warmed up a little by mile 5 and was at least going a decent easy pace rather than a much slower pace. Run done.

Home note: Most of the weekend has been spent preparing to move, so no fun stories to share.. We did make it to Target and got our daughter the normal Halloween candy bucket, this is her CHEESE face:

She also still has a cold, which makes her sound like a raspy old smoker and had been waking up multiple times over the nights, making all of us a bit tired. She is improving though!

Much to the suggestions of Xaarlin, I've been using the tennis ball a lot to help with some trouble spots that stretching and the stick don't seem to help. I think it is helping or just a very big coincidence. 

Sunday: Another easy paced 10 mile run. This run with a bit smoother, I also had a lot more time to warm up at home before my run which may have something to do with it.  I focused a lot on this run with trying to not lean into my right hip, kick back enough and try to keep my strides straight rather than crossing over each

other.

Monday: Recovery pace 8 mile run. I overslept a bit this morning, almost to my second alarm. Doing this basically killed 15 minutes and removed time I like to have for a better warm up, cool down, and any bio emergency. I made sure my stomach would be okay and shuffled out the door. I started my first few miles pretty slow, and kept reminding myself to take it really easy today.  My calves were somewhere between sore and tired, and took a good 4 miles to warm up. No biggie.

I took a couple photos as there was a tiny bit of light as I finished my run:

Now comes the big question for me. 

I still have two more hard runs left this week on my training plan. Tomorrow is a strength run and Friday is the last pace run. I know logically I should say, the benefits from those last two runs might be what, a few more seconds? But to me, it isn't as much about the finish time, as the journey to get there, to prove to myself that I can do the training.

I"m probably still going to attempt to do the runs, even if needs to be at a realistic pace, rather than the extra fast goal pace I did all season, but I certainly won't push it until it hurts..much. If nothing more, I'll at least do the miles.

I'm also waaaaaaaay behind on reading everyone's blogs (and even responding to comments on mine) so hold tight! (Actually don't, I'll probably fall behind more as I move tomorrow hopefully)

Also - Are there talks of a blogger dinner meet up for the Chicago Marathon over the next 10 days?