Fresh Legs

Source: google.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

My first run since last Wednesday and the chaos of vacation. I'm still feel like I'm whirling, between Nate's birthday, unpacking, kid haircuts, cleaning, procuring and cooking food, preschool, a Dr appointment for me, and various other errands I had doubts that I would get my run in today. When Luke woke up early from his nap and begged me to go outside and play hockey, I obliged, and it was the best decision that I made all day. Instead of sitting around cleaning and folding laundry and playing on the computer, I was outside in the sunshine in my running skirt and a t shirt ~ in 66 degree SUNSHINE on the first of Feb. What an unheard of treat here in PA! I felt invigorated and although it felt like a rare form of torture to be heading inside to the treadmill on such a day, I had no choice as Nate was out of town. My goal was to get in 6, and instead I got in a pretty fast 9!

The treadmill is nothing but a mind game. For me, the game goes like this. Start slow, ease into pace, then by 3 or 4 miles, start cranking up the pace ....from 6.5 to 8.3 changing it upwards every 1/10th of a mile, until I click over to the next mile and settle back in to pace again. Each mile I start cranking it up earlier in the mile, so every mile from mile 3 is run faster than the mile before it. There is absolutely no logic or plan to my method, other than that my first three miles are always the hardest (until I really settle into my stride) and from there upping the pace to a full sprint forces me to concentrate on what I am doing, rather than how boring the treadmill is, and it makes the miles click on by extremely quickly. Today I didn't even need to cover the display after mile 5 ~ it was fun to start cranking up the speed only about .40 into the mile. The miles just flew by!

Running on fresh legs and a frazzled head is always my favorite ~ though I went in with my mind racing I can say that for 78 minutes I didn't think of or worry about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other. Simple stuff, and so freeing from the perpetual multitasking of Motherhood. I felt a little creaky and very aware of the various pleasures I had indulged in on my vacation (from rest to rich meals to late night and all that goes with those things), and then I felt fabulous once I hit my stride.

It was a good day. Sometimes that first run after a break is the hardest, your mind wants you to forget that your body loves and needs it.....and there is simply no other way to remember than to get off of your ass and force yourself to do it. As soon as your body remembers how happy running makes it, you wonder what on earth you were afraid of. I'm back. And it feels fabulous.