Week of tweaking

I've been stuck in low mileage runs for a long time. It was a comfort thing in that I knew I could at least get 2 miles in and still have time to tackle the never-ending to-do list. I have 3 training calendars (hey, I need the accountability, right?) where I have put certain mileage points on to help motivate and get me going further. I decided to take that leap this past week and jump to 4 miles.

On Monday, I was almost the solo runner for a group run at the local running store. The store employee very kindly mapped out a 4 mile out & back...the kicker? HILLS. A *big* hill. AND she wanted me to do it TWICE. I took a deep breath and without thinking twice, shrugged my shoulders and said, 'Why not?' It wasn't until I was starting to stretch that the butterflies came creeping in. I just wanted to up the ante to 4 miles...not throw in a hill repeat. Oh well--you gotta do what you gotta do to get over that slump. I challenged myself and went out and got it done. I have to admit I felt pretty damn proud of myself. :)

Usually if I get that one good run in, I start to quickly get sucked into life and will put off future workouts. Rain didn't help with that for my next scheduled run...but the next day, I went out and did it again. Another 4 miler--this time I wanted to see what I could change in my form. I haven't had my gait or running form analyzed by a professional, but I know that when I get tired or sluggish I can feel it all around. So in my start I didn't go charging down the road like I usually do. I went slllllllllooooooooooooooooooow. I felt great and was getting into a great rhythm. And if you can believe it, my 'slow' pace was actually turning out to be a faster one than my usual. As I'm chugging along I noticed that my jaw was starting to stick out and my neck muscles tensed--which usually leads to me hunching up my shoulders then my entire upper body is a big knot of tense muscles. I relaxed my jaw, gave my arms a shake and focused on just what was in front of me. Every so often I'd snap out of the negative thoughts that started to creep in and do a quick check of unclenched fists, jaw in line, and shoulders down. It sounds silly but it really worked. After that run, I wasn't nearly as sore or tight the next day.

My final tweak of the week: going LONG. And by long, I meant I was going for a 5 mile run. This was the first one since my 10K in October. I know, sad right? I know I can run that distance...I just don't do it enough. And because I don't do it enough---I consider myself slower than molasses and why bother with a long run when I know I can get a 2 miler done much quicker. With a 'no excuses' mantra going through my head at the moment combined with excitement and some stored energy I went for it. My only downfall was electronic...my Nike+ GPS decided to end the workout before it was time. It put a damper on things and I swore at the dang thing the entire way home, but I got it done. Of course looking back, I was silly to get so riled up at that thing. I knew I went the distance...I didn't need the computer to tell me so.

In hindsight, this was probably one of the best running weeks I've had in a long time. Just a couple of tweaks and it all added up to some great changes and results. I'm trying not to get overconfident but I am feeling stronger these days. I can tackle slightly more on my already full plate. I believe the race is maybe 6 weeks away...I'm too scared to look at that part of my calendar. Hopefully some more tweaking will help me overcome that fear. :)