Week 1 of 30!

Well, my first week of JFK 50-miler training is in the books! Interesting, because I didn't even know I was running the race until Tuesday!

That said, Wendy and I had already started working together again, just to get me back into shape for whatever goal I ended up choosing for summer and beyond.

I got 30 miles in this week which is actually pretty impressive, considering I was pretty much starting at zero. Longest run was 7.5

On March 16th I ran the Rock 'n' Roll USA half marathon, just for fun. I wasn't well trained or really in shape at all, and I didn't have a particularly great race, but it was good to get back out there. I ran 2:05 something which was solid considering I had some major nausea problems and had to wait in line for a potty stop. 10 minutes off of my PR isn't bad all things considered. I was feeling good about the effort.

Then that night my dad had a heart attack. Over the next three weeks my life would change completely in a way I could have never imagined or even feared. During the time while he was sick and up until he died, I didn't run a step. Not one.

The next time I ran was 4 miles on April 14th with a good friend who knew that getting me out running again would be a good way to help me deal with my grief. She was right. That said, I didn't run again until April 25th. I've been completing some short runs consistently since that day and it is starting to again feel like something I want to do. Since it is something I need to do, that's a good thing. Every run feels better than the last. Alas, I am getting in shape. It's good to be back.

I ran more miles this week than Wendy wanted. But they were feeling so good that I just kept extending runs. I am not a very good listener when it comes to coaching, but she already knows that!

I've been dealing with some minor injuries with big names: Trochanteric Bursitis of the hip and Femoral Acetabular Impingement. They're not awesome but they aren't tragic either. The first one means that the outside of my hip hurts, the second one means the front of my leg near my groin hurts. (Both are hip injuries, just different parts of the hip.) They seem to alternate. Both are just mild, if concerning, pain. Funny enough, for anyone who has followed my running for any length of time, my hamstrings have been completely fine. My hamstrings haven't been fine since the 10th grade!

Lincoln, inside his Memorial

So, here we go! I still don't even know my plan for next week but I think we are going to try to keep the mileage pretty similar. I am in exams, so that's no fun. But the runs are a nice relief, even if it is tourist/school group season here in the District.

I like to have pictures in my posts, so I'll leave all of you, my three readers, with this:

For most of my runs this week, I visited this guy at dawn. He's about 2.5 miles from home. It was pretty spectacular with the sun just coming up and the steps still a bit damp from the dew. I even got my workout on by sprinting up the steps each time I visited.

Lincoln Memorial