7.6 Miles...and Dancing!

"So I think I'm feeling ready to start moving this body again."

That's what I said in yesterday's post. Sometimes in life you have seize the opportunity and that's what I did. My tri group had a run planned for 7:30 this morning. Ohhh, 7:30am, that's early! But I felt inspired, motivated to get back out there. So I set my alarm and promptly told myself this is what we're doing. No discussion, as little thinking as possible...just do it.

The alarm went off and I moaned a bit but rolled out of bed and into my running clothes. Last night's martinis were heavy on my mind, literally, so I took ibuprofen with my morning coffee. That and a bowl of cereal before I drove out to meet the crew.

Amber, Dan (w/ Sam in the stroller), Anne, Anne, Robin and Me.

Sorry about the head chop Dan!

We ran at the Hamilton levee, a series of mostly dirt paths that run along wetland areas. We had a plan to run 45 minutes out and then turn around for a total of 1.5 hours of running. I wasn't sure I'd be able to run for that long given I've been sitting on my duff for weeks on end. Not to mention I hiked the day before.

We did a brief warm-up walk and then started an easy run pace. The route was flat and I shuffled along worried that my muscles might seize up at any moment. But they didn't.

I ran the first few miles at around a 13-minute per mile pace. The morning weather was beautiful, birds out flying, ducks too...I tried to take a picture while I was running but it didn't capture much.

After a while Amber I started chatting and this provided welcome distraction while we neared our turnaround point. I've never been a talker-while-running person but it sure is nice. I think my past pace has usually involved running too hard to imagine wanting to talk, let alone being able to.

When we had about 30 minutes to go I felt confident I'd make it. And when we hit mile six I decided to pick up the pace a bit for the last mile. After running at a 13+ per minute pace I ran the last mile in 12:13 and I felt pretty good...sore, but good. After no running in over a month being able to complete 7.6 miles sure felt great.

That's a happy post-run smile. I drove my bmw and put the top down. I love that car, it's a 1989 and so fun to drive with the top down on a nice day.

After the run I stopped at Peet's for more coffee. I sat around for an hour, mostly people watching but catching up on a bit of news too. It's amazing how much better I feel (read: less guilty) sitting around like that when I've already had some exercise. 

I should have taken it easy the rest of the day but what fun is that? After cleaning up I met my mom for lunch and then we did a bit of window shopping. I made a somewhat healthy choice (egg white veggie omelet with fruit) knowing that I would probably be indulging at dinner. I was hoping to catch a quick nap after lunch but I didn't have enough time. So I went home and rested quietly for a half-hour before I had to get ready for the evening ahead.

Dancing! I was invited to go with a group of friends and despite my lagging energy I rallied and made it out to the show. It was at a local music venue and we had a big table for our group so at least I didn't have to stand. Other than when I was dancing, which I couldn't, nor wouldn't, resist doing of course. 

So I had an indulgent dinner (chicken and waffles - really!) and a few drinks and hoped the morning run + dancing would balance all the calories. The moment the show ended I was ready for bed, I could not have been more tired! 

Today my legs and calves were so sore! I spent the day doing a few errands and chores around the house. Despite getting a great night sleep I still felt a bit dreamy all day today. It's going to take a while for my body to get accustomed to exercise again. But before that can happen, I have to go under the knife one more time. I'm having a little touch-up surgery related to my tummy tuck. More on that next time.