Thursday 4.30.09

Rest Day

I feel anxious, lazy, and gross. The idea of not running sounded nice earlier today when I was feeling tired, crampy, and bloated, but now I'm full of regrets I decided to make this my "rest day". I'm going to coordinate my next "rest days" as days where I go hiking or do something else. I thought reading at home would be relaxing, but I'm feeling really restless and wish I had gone running instead.

Wednesday 4.29.09

Route: RWM Group Run

Distance: 3 miles

Pace: 10:30

Weather: cool & cloudy

Notes: I joined Morgan and Nicole on a RWM group run today which was fun. I've never really been a part of a sports club before, so it was neat to gather with so many other runners at Runner's Edge and listen to questions from other runners. I had fun running with the girls, and even though the pace was slower than my usual, I had a great time and was able to really focus on correcting my stride. It still feels a bit odd, but if I consciously keep thinking about it, I hope to be able to correct it.

Also, I was looking at the REI Big Sale catalogue, and much to my delight, the watch I desperately want is on sale. Not only on sale, it is on HUGE Sale! It is almost $100 less than its normal price!! Granted, the watch is usually in the $350 range (yikes!!!!), so a pricetag of $260 doesn't seem all that great, but-WOW- $100 off? That's great. Unfortunately Ryan did not agree and pretty much said I can't buy it. :(

Tuesday 4.28.09

Route: Track Workout

Distance: 2 miles

Pace: 5 X 400s at 1:55 & 3 x 400s at 2:30

Weather: light rain and snow

Notes: My first track workout ever!!! Courtney, the coach, said I'm a heel runner, so I spent most of the workout trying to correct my strike and try to land on my mid-foot/toe area instead of heels. This new stride worked a whole different set of muscles than my old stride, so I'm sure I'm going to be very slow tomorrow! I met a lot of nice people and they were all encouraging. I'm definitely going to keep coming back!

Monday 4.27.09

Route: L&C Loop + UM Loop

Distance:7 miles

Pace: 10:00

Weather: cold and cloudy, with a few errant raindrops

Notes: I ran the first two miles with Angie and her black lab, Magy. After saying goodbye, I decided to keep going and ended up running 5 more miles. There was one major hill I struggled on, but I made it to my "goal-point." At the end I did a few running drills (high kicks, butt slaps) but not for very long.

Sunday 4.26.09

Route: Rimel Road/Dean Stone Mountain

Distance: 4 miles

Pace: Run/Walk

Weather: It's supposed to rain/snow today, but for the run it was pretty clear. Some awesome views over the Missoula Valley.

Notes: I somehow convinced Ryan to go on a morning run with me (that never happens!) and we ran from our house to a dirt trail up a steep hill, with sweeping views of all of Missoula. A week ago a wolfpack was seen on this hill and even killed a small dog. No signs of wolves today though. I had to walk up the steep hills, but ran the rest. Hopefully if I keep doing this run, I eventually can power up and run the whole way

Saturday 4.25.09

Route: Riverbank Run 10K

Distance: 6.2 miles

Pace: 10:00

Weather: 40ish degrees with lots of cloud coverage

Notes: It was fun to run the race with Katie. We kept a strong, slow pace and I felt great the whole way. Great conversation--I'm going to miss her when she moves to Denver. The last 100 yards we kicked it in and sprinted.

Friday 4.24.09

I joined Run Wild Missoula, a local running club. Even though I've run one marathon and several half-marathons, I want to focus on running 1-2 marathons a year in the future, and I want to be faster, so I'm more "middle of the pack" than "back of the pack." I figure the best way to do this is to join a running club--it will force me to do track and speed work (which I hate), and will help keep me motivated.

I will still run with my two running partners, Angie and Katie. I've also have two more, Morgan and Nicole, who want to run with me. I much rather run with a friend than solo, so I'm glad I have so many friends who are willing to go with me.

I also know that I am not very good at running after work--going home and getting in pjs always sounds more fun. Since some of the Run Wild Missoula runs are at 6pm, I will have to get over that. On other days I will plan to run in the mornings, when I'm freshest, but maybe mixing it up (both kinds of runs/workouts and time of day) will help make me a better runner.