4 on the 4th in 39:36!

It's Thursday but it feels like Monday.  Mid-week holidays are strange.  I took Tuesday off so I'm really coming back from a nice couple of days.  And the best part is, tomorrow is Friday!  I had an amazing Fourth of July.  But before I tell you all about that, a quick re-cap of the earlier part of the week.

Monday was a gym day.  I started with the upright bike for 25 minutes and it's safe to say, level 7 really is getting easier.  The first couple of times it was easier I thought maybe it was a fluke but now it's happening each time.  I followed that up with legs/shoulders/core for strength training.  I've worked out my legs plan.  I'm still doing regular squats but added plié squats.  I decided against the split squats, they were just too complicated to do correctly, and so I kept leg extensions.  And I think I'm going to add in lateral band walks, where you put the resistance band around your ankles and step to one side for 8 reps, then the other way.  It feels like it's working the outside of your hips, whatever that is.

I had the day off on Tuesday.  I wish I'd planned my day better.  I hung around the house all morning and planned to go to the gym in the afternoon.  Then I realized I could do something better than just the gym.  It was pretty hot out so I opted to go to the pool and swim some laps.  After that I went for a massage.  I signed up for a monthly massage for 6 months, hoping it would help with my stress level and maybe ease muscle tension too.  I gotta admit, I sure do like getting those massages.  I don't think it's a realistic thing to do long term though - a massage a month gets expensive.  I just need to take the time to meditate.  That seems to be the cure-all for stress.  I keep reading about how even 10 minutes a day makes a huge difference.  We'll see. 

So 4th of July was Wednesday (yesterday).  I registered, along with a couple mom friends, for a local 4 mile race in the morning.  I went to bed way too late the night before and knew nothing about the course - though I was assuming the route would be laid back (as in, flat), this is a holiday run after all.  My mom was over and could watch the kids so Miguel decided to run it too.  Fun!

Laurie, Jackie and I.  Red, white and blue, actually not planned!

I had my normal Kashi GoLean and coffee/creamer for breakfast.  I debated eating an AccelGel but in the end decided I didn't need it for such a short event.  Anyway, here I am with my mom friends pre-race.

We lined up at the starting line, sang the Star Spangled Banner (there's a first) and then took off.  I felt like I was running pretty quick so after about 5 minutes I looked at my garmin.  It showed around a 9:30 pace.  Uh oh, running way too fast!  But you know, I felt ok.  So I decided not to look at my garmin again and just go for it.  Run by feel.  I know going out fast usually results in a lower time overall, but I just decided to keep running by what felt right and see what happened.  I was actually passing a few people.

It wasn't too long before we came across a good sized hill.  Not too steep, but friggin' long!  I managed to run the whole way up, successfully quieting the voice that kept suggesting I walk.   Running back down was much more fun so I pushed myself on the down slope.  Eventually I'd come across more friggin hills! and I thought, what the heck are they doing, this is a holiday run!  Here's a screenshot of the elevation profile from my garmin.  Look at those evil hills!

I managed to run up every one of those hills though, and was feeling quite pleased with myself despite the fact that I was dying to walk.  This was tough.  Way tougher than I was expecting.  I had "fun run" in my head, which meant no dying to walk and definitely no hills.  Anyway, I managed to keep running.  I broke down and glanced at my garmin again around mile 3.  I was still doing a sub 10-minute mile.  And it motivated me to push.  Only one more mile!  Lots of positive self talk ensued.  My left calf started aching just a bit but I decided to ignore it.  I can't let anything mess up this apparently incredible run I'm having.

Now I'm looking at my watch more often but not for pace, for distance.  Four miles couldn't come soon enough.  And then there it was, the finish line.  Nice!  I pushed on and crossed the finish line.  And then I looked at my garmin. 39:36.  Holy cow!  I ran four miles in less than 40 minutes.  That means I ran faster than 10 minute miles.  That means I ran faster than I've run in my life.  Ever.  Faster than I'd ever run even on a treadmill (for any sustained amount of time).  I was overjoyed.  So unexpected and so awesome.  It wasn't easy, certainly not "fun", but I was thrilled with how I did.

Here's more information than you'd ever want from the Garmin connect site.  Look at those heart rates, average 158, I was really pushing.  And a peak of 173.  Good thing I didn't look at my garmin, that would have made me slow down for sure!  I slow down when I get to 160 normally. 

I drove home for a quick change before taking the kids to walk in the 4th of July parade with our mother's club.  We've done it every year since I had Marek.  On the way home I actually got a little emotional at the thought of my run.  I have really come a long way.  Back to town for the parade, which went by quick, and then we headed home to relax.  We filled up the kiddie pool and spent the rest of the afternoon watching the kids play, very relaxing.  I tried to eat healthy all day because for dinner my mom grilled steaks and we had that with baked potatoes.  Of course I added some vegetables and a salad to my meal.  Dinner was sooo good.  We skipped the whole fireworks thing, which was just fine with me.  What a great day!  

Today, Thursday, was up in the air in terms of my gym plans.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel.  But you know, I felt ok.  And by the time I went to the gym after work it'd been more than 24 hours since the race.  I did the bike, level 7 is still easier.  I am starting to entertain level 8.  Maybe another month or so and we'll see.  After the bike I did chest/triceps/core for strength training.  And I met a new woman at the gym.  She's lost 120 pounds and is lifting heavy weights - that's my kind of gym goer.  She's still got some weight to lose on her journey and told me she's planning to start a blog soon.  Cool!  Maybe I can profile her on my blog one day soon.

So tomorrow is Friday, which means weigh-in.  I will be happy if I maintain.  After all I ate last weekend, and my eating yesterday - well, I'm not expecting to lose.  I'm going to have to stop seeing social events as a time to cut loose food-wise if I want to stay on track.  Summer means too many social stuff which could mean weight gain if I'm not careful.  Ok, that's all I got.  Oh, I'll add in another picture that Jackie took of me pre-race.  I didn't even know she was taking it.  I like how I look like I'm giving an interview or something.