It's only been two days...

Since I'm taking a few days off from running to rest my hip I have found that my approach to the concept of time will have to change. It's only been two days, but normally my days are categorized based on whether or not I'm running. So a typical Tuesday would either be a "day that I run" or the "day before I run". But today was just like a plain old regular Tuesday. I tried to explain how annoying that was to a co-worker of mine and got this response...

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Taking days off also highlights the underlying void I've felt by not keeping an actual paper running journal. I have one that I'm waiting to use once I start my full marathon training plan in May. But until then I've just been tracking mileage on my Garmin and keeping an account of my cross training (or lack thereof) in my blog posts. It's not the same as having an actual journal that you can look at to compare weeks of training etc. Especially when you want to compare your cross training. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how empty or full you perceive the glass to be) I haven't done a lot of cross training since the beginning of the year so I don't have a whole bunch of stuff to compare.

Since I didn't have a journal to look at today, I kept myself busy on the Garmin website where I can see my routes and mileage accumulation summaries for various timeframes. It's because of this awesome feature that I had to face the realization that I was not going to achieve the goal I set to run #100miles in March. I've known for a while actually but the delusional OCD aspect of my personality wouldn't allow me to post that revelation until the LAST DAY of March (you know, just in case I was suddenly capable of running approximately 10+ miles a day for 4 days straight).

A Huge Mistake...

Back when I was doing physical therapy for my left knee injury/hamstring tendonitis the therapist told me that there was an issue with the alignment of my right femur in my hip socket and that my hips (in general) were weak. So in addition to focusing on my knee I was also given exercises to strengthen my hips. At the end of my physical therapy sessions (otherwise known as "when my insurance company decided to stop covering them"), I was given strict instructions to "continue to perform the exercises at home". I didn't listen. I should have listened...

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So this morning when I woke up and still had the same lingering hip pain that I've had since Thursday, I knew I could no longer ignore the warning my body was giving me. I wasn't very happy...

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When It's Hard To Run...

I decided to run close to home this morning. I went to bed a lot later than I wanted to last night and needed extra hours of sleep. So by the time I got up I didn't want to waste any more great running weather driving to the beach. 

The temperature was ideal for running...

...but 57 is still "chilly" for me so I pulled on a long sleeve top and gloves.

The goal for this morning was to run anywhere between 6-8 miles. Secretly I was hoping I would feel great and be up to running 8. That didn't quite work out...

The first mile was a struggle. I didn't warm up as much as I should have (or any at all) so it took a while for my body to stop resisting the early morning physical activity...

It's Spring Cleaning Time!!!!

I don't actually wait until it's Spring to clear the clutter out of my life (I hate hoarding stuff). But Spring has already started and today seemed like the right day to do another "clean house" activity (which surprisingly enough doesn't mean I'll actually clean; I just throw stuff away).

It's also the period in which I clean up other aspects of my life (including my social media pages). I can't speak for everyone but over time I find that my feeds are filled with a lot of great stuff, but also negative garbage as well. I know occasionally people feel the need to vent on their digital soap boxes for all the world to hear (see/read). And we all have bad days so the occasional rant doesn't bother me (much). But I'm a little over the negative/ profanity filled/ disparaging posts. So it's time to clean up my feed...

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Double Runs and Breaking News

My entire running schedule has been a bit off because of my recent trip home. I'm not complaining (just stating a fact) because I was home for my sister's wedding and I wouldn't miss that for anything in the world. I also refrain from complaints because I was able to run with friends in Jamaica and I have fallen in love with running at home. The camaraderie is great, the change in atmosphere enhances my training, and the hill work is as amazing as it is challenging & painful.

This morning (back in Florida) I ran a training 5K and tried to channel some of the energy and camaraderie that I felt during my JA training runs. I ended up with a pretty decent pace for my non-stop 5K run...

Post run pic...