Just run!!

My off season has started and I have decided on two main goals.  1) Improve my run and 2) Strength train.  It doesn't matter where you go or what you read, but especially on the forums I follow, every time someone asks how to get faster running, the answer is always the same..."Run more, sometimes fast, but usually easy, and run often".  I decided that is exactly what I need to do and I have committed to running 6 days a week.  Every single day.  Even if it is just 3 miles, I will do some kind of pavement pounding 6 days a week.  I started this last week, and it was amazing in many ways!  One is that by the end of the week my paces were faster.  Not drastically, but they were faster.  I am slowly starting to remember why they say consistency is key.  My bike is still out of commission for another week or so, so why not be running?

I have now gone back to school for the year, and now my training has to be at 4:00 am if it is going to happen.  I know that I have run in the dark by myself, but lately it really freaks me out to go by myself so early.  I was lucky enough to talk another neighbor of mine who is also a teacher going back to school to  meet me at that awful hour to run.  It has been fun! I  think we are good to challenge each other and my time with her yesterday was the fastest 3 miles I have done in training in a long time!

Another thing that has come of this is that I am actually looking forward to my runs again!  The last little while I have done anything to avoid running, or it would be the easiest work out for me to skip.  I would come up with some lame excuse why I couldn't run or substitute a bike ride or swim instead.  But, with running daily for the last week and half, I am actually looking forward to it again!  I am excited to see what progress comes from this consistency!  I am glad to be enjoying it again too!

As for the strength training, I am doing 20 minutes three times a week.  I do everything from exercises with my free weights, kettle bells, and resistance bands to  squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups and planks.  It sucks, I'm not going to lie, but I do feel great once it is done :)

I have had a couple of emails asking me about Iron Week that was supposed to be last week.  I was going to do each segment of an Ironman, but each spaced a few days apart.  I really wanted to do it, but with my bike being out of commission, it has been placed on hold.  I really doubt though that it will happen as now that I am back in school, there just isn't the time, unless I wait until Christmas break, which is too close to the actual IMTX, and at the very beginning of my 22 week training plan, and I don't want to do anything that could cause injury.  But, it was a fun idea!