Keeping it fresh

I feel like this is shaping up to be a week of new beginnings, which is great because it is helping to keep this crazy thing called running fresh for me.  Immediately following the Princess Half Marathon last month (week) I was kind of dreading the fact that I didn't really have time for a break in my training - that 25k in Grand Rapids is just 9-1/2 weeks away at this point, and I have never run more than that half marathon distance.

Then I woke up to run last Thursday (supposed to be my first run back) and found I had the flu.  I was totally freaked out because that meant I went over a week without running!

Monday morning I was happy to get up and get back at it with a nice, easy 3 mile run on relatively fresh legs.  :)  New beginning #1!

Yesterday was the first day of the new Girls on the Run season for Maggie and I.  This has got to be my favorite sign of spring (and one of my favorite volunteer opportunities because as an Assistant Coach I can sit back and just have fun interacting with the girls).  We didn't get any running time in during the team meeting, but I am so excited to log some extra miles in on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons over the next three months.  New beginning #2!

This morning I made the decision to commit to the "Half Marathon - Own It" plan from the book Train Like a Mother by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell.  Jumped into week 5 of the plan and had a great interval run on the treadmill.  This is going to be a tough plan to follow, but I'm excited about stepping up my game and feeling prepared for that 25k (the plan includes long runs of 14 and 15 miles, so that should be good).  New beginning #3!

I also stopped at Meijer this morning and purchased a heart rate monitor (a cheapy version that was 20% off the marked price) so I can try my hand at heart rate running.  Excited to try something different and see if it helps improve my running.  New beginning #4!

 

 

Oh, and I should have mentioned at the beginning that the Spring Booty Buster Challenge sponsored by Run to the Finish started on Monday, so that will be another motivator.  New beginning #5!

 

And finally, I'm starting to implement some of the things that I learned from the book Racing Weight.  More on that in another post.  But new beginning #6!

 

And it is only Wednesday....