Day 75.

Today is a cross-training day.  I was feeling a little stiff, especially in my legs, when I got out of bed this morning, so I went for an easy walk for about 25 minutes.  When I came back home, I did workout 2 from Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.

Day 74.

4 mile run today.  Cold and windy again, but I'm trying to stay positive, and hoping that running up against a strong headwind for four miles will make me a better runner!  I warmed up with 25 minutes of Pilates/Yoga, and after my run I also did the 30 minute Yoga Meltdown.
At one point during my run I was on a stretch of country road and there was a huge flock (?) of wild turkeys gathered together in the middle of a field.  I need to get one of those little key chain size cameras so I can snap pictures of things while I'm on my runs.  I always see something: a beautiful sunrise, landscape scene, animals, weird things in the road...

Day 73.

There is one good thing about a strong, snowy headwind: at some point during a round trip run it becomes a strong, snowy tailwind! Today was a short run, 2 miles. I wasn't looking forward to heading outside when I woke up and saw the snow blowing around, but I got out there, and actually something really weird happened...I felt like a runner. It's still not easy, but it is getting easier and feeling more natural, instead of clumsy. When I got home I also did workout 1 from JM 30 Day Shred, and JM 30 min. Yoga Meltdown.

Day 72.

Today's run was 3.5 miles. I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then started out with about 5 minutes of walking. When I returned home from my run, I also did the 30 minute Yoga Meltdown.

Day 71.

Today was a short run day, so I decided to make it an interval run again. I started out with 25 minutes of a Yoga/Pilates warm up, then walked for about 8 minutes before starting my run. I used the same format as I did on Wednesday last week, running a total of about 2.21 miles, sprinting for about 30 seconds after each 5 minutes of easy paced run. I felt pretty tired on the first sprint, but I found that each one got a little easier. When I got home I also did workout 3 from Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, and also workout 2 of the Yoga Meltdown.

Day 70.

Rest day. Fuel for the mind:
"There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between." ~Pat Riley, NBA coach

Day 69.

This morning I did 40 minutes of brisk walking followed by 30 minutes of Yoga.

Day 68.

Today is a crosstraining/rest day. I did the third workout from Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. Last night my legs were a little sore, probably from doing intervals Wed. and my 4.5 mile run yesterday. Thankfully when I woke this morning, I felt fine. Now I'm off to take my boys to Cubscouts.

Day 67.

Long run today: 4.5 miles. I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, and then a few minutes of walking before starting my run. I actually felt pretty good for most of the run. Around mile 3 it started to rain, and by the time I got back home I was soaked. For some reason I felt like I was having a hard time taking in a deep breath. I tried to focus on recovery breathing during the second half of my run (breath in 2-3-4, breath out 2-3-4). I think it might have had something to do with the high humidity in the air. At any rate, it's a good feeling to increase the mileage each week and have a sense of accomplishment for just doing it. I also did 30 minutes of Yoga after my run.

Day 66.

Today the training schedule said to do a 2 mile run. After talking with one of my girlfriends (a marathoner), I decided to make it an interval run. Here's how I did it:

5 min. Warm up at an easy-moderate pace
5 min. Baseline: Increase speed gradually to a comfortable, moderate pace
30 seconds Sprint all out as fast as you can
4.5 min Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
30 seconds Sprint all out as fast as you can
4.5 min Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
30 seconds Sprint all out as fast as you can
4.5 min Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
30 seconds Sprint all out as fast as you can
4.5 min Cool down at an easy pace
Total : 30 Minutes

It actually came out to be about 2.3 miles of actual running, with a walking warm up and cool down. I also did a 25 minute strength training DVD.