Recovery Week

Who doesn't love a recovery week? I do! For me, these weeks are just as challenging as other weeks. You see, coach and I have figured out a great schedule or cycle for my training. Two weeks with intensity and challenging running, and then one week of recovery. By the end of the second week, I am tired, my legs are tired and I'm ready for some recovery time! However, recovery runs hurt! During my recovery weeks, I struggle, and I usually feel crappy. But it never fails that by the time the week is over, and it's time to hit it hard again, I'm all better! Perhaps some of it is mental?

I was really sore at the start of this week. I'm having some soreness in places I've never had before so I'm stretching things I've never stretched before! Tuesday was warm and muggy, and the run suffered even more because of that. It was tough out there, and every mile or so, we took a short walk break. I felt more tired in spin this week than previous weeks as well. Thursday morning I was lazy. I slept late and it was really nice. I felt super guilty about not dragging myself out of bed to run though. I was still pretty sore in a couple of places, so it was probably good I waited. I had decided to get my run in over at my parent's later that afternoon, after the lunch feast had settled, but before the second go round at dinner. Richton is very small, and I knew that running 8 miles there would be a challenge. I did it, but I took several spins around the football field so I wouldn't have to do 4 repeats of the same streets! I was very happy to finish that run. And I wasn't as sore as earlier that morning. I was super lazy on Friday, and was ready to roll for my 12 recovery long run on Saturday.

So someone moved the Longleaf Trace sign or it fell during a storm, cause it wasn't there! I was counting on it this morning in the dark and missed the road. Luckily, I recognized the road and found it on the second pass. My plan was to start at Clyde and run toward Jackson Road to meet Terri and Jenny. I wasn't feel that great, and it got worse. After about 2.5 or 3 miles, I had to stop for a minute. I was light head, dizzy and nauseated. I felt horrible. Terri said I was white as a sheet. I had felt bad a couple of times during the morning and on the first bit of that run, but I had brushed it off as run jitters and stress due to not being able to find Clyde! So after a rest, I slowed my pace and made it back to Clyde where I decided to end the run. Only 3.5 miles, but I didn't want to force a run and get out too far and be stuck. It's recovery week!

I will live to fight another day, and I will be back busting out quicker, stronger miles Tuesday! This is all part of the process.

I'm Still Running!

So I realized this week that it has been over 6 weeks since my last post. I have become a terrible blogger this fall, and really the main excuse/reason is school. I have been slammed with weekly papers, online discussions where I'm reading articles and writing, larger papers, exams, you name it. It's not been a fun semester. Sadly, I don't see my blogging picking back up too much as the semester winds down. I take my comps in January so my spare time currently used for writing papers will be used for studying for my comps.

Anyway! Believe it or not, I have been running! I am 9 weeks (I think) out from Houston, and it's approaching much quicker than I prefer. I would prefer having a few more weeks thrown in for some additional training. I feel as if I was set back a bit with the calf injury then some sickness at the beginning of this training. But it's coming whether I'm where I want to be or not! I do feel like I'm finding some speed again, and I hope to continue building on that all the way up until Houston. Yesterday I registered for the Ole Man River half marathon in New Orleans on December 18. I will be returning to the streets where I met my demise in the gritty chewed up streets last February. I hope to come home scar free this time!

Luckily, the temps have dropped and my intensity is back. Lots of mile repeats, tempo miles and long runs over 12 miles now, which I am enjoying. We have had a gorgeous fall in south Mississippi, probably one of the most colorful we have ever had. We were blessed with cool temps earlier than normal which has caused the rich colors to last more than a few days, more like weeks. The time has also changed providing at least half of my runs to be in daylight! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the sunrise over the beautiful fall colors of the trees. This morning on my tempo run, I also spotted the first deer of the season. It's funny how they are just deer, but I get so excited when I see them out on my early morning runs. They are so unafraid of us runners on the Longleaf Trace, and they seem to like us getting close to them, which is what we want!

And another thing, my beloved Southern Miss Golden Eagles are 9-1! For the first time since 1962! With a win tonight, we will secure a spot in the conference championship game. This has brought lots of excitement to me, our campus and our state! Go Eagles! Southern Miss to the Top!!!

So, until next time, and I will make no promises of when that will be! But I'll do my best, and of course I will KEEP RUNNING!