A Reminder

This morning on my Week 4 (!) long run, I got a little reminder about why I'm really doing this, why I really run. It's not just to make my legs look great in shorts again. It's not just about looking a certain way. My run took me through Forest Park, and at one of the water fountains, I ran into a couple in their 70s out for their training run. They were both wearing tech shirts from marathons in the last two years.

THAT'S why I run. I want to be fit, active, and healthy for a lifetime.
Not for one race, one event, or one swimsuit season. For life!

I really admired them for being out there doing their thing. That's the kind of life I hope for myself and my future family.

This theme came into play yesterday before I'd even seen these inspirational folks. I was off work yesterday and B. finished early, so in the interest of spending time together while being active, B. and I loaded our bikes onto the back of his car and went out to the Katy Trail. I'd never been and wanted to scope it out as a possible location for some of my upcoming truly long runs. The trail is mostly packed gravel, but my hybrid held up pretty well. We usually don't ride together. He's faster than me, so I usually tell him to go do his thing and I take my time doing mine. But, yesterday he asked if I wanted to stick together. It was really nice to ride along side each other and chat. We ended up doing about 17 miles, which was way more than I expected. And, we both made it up the HILL. The trail runs along side a river, and the parking lot is up on top of a cliff (for lack of a better term). There was a twisty-turny paved road that led from the parking lot to the trail. We made bets about whether or not either of us would be able to make it to the top on the way back. We both powered it out and were jelly-legged but proud of ourselves.

I started this morning's run concerned that my legs would be sore or tired from our adventure yesterday evening. Not so much. My lower calves were a little tight, but other than that I felt strong. My goal for this run was to try to hold a semi-steady pace. I have a tendency to start out too fast and slow down the longer the run goes on. Today I was able to stay within 30 seconds of pace. I just can't help picking up speed on downhills...

So, three more glorious no-work days! Have a happy and safe Fourth!

Chicago Marathon Training Week 4
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3.02 mile run (10:17 pace)
Wednesday - 6.00 mile run (10:45 pace)
Thursday - 3.00 mile run (9:20 pace)
Friday - 17 mile bike (11.5 mph)
Saturday - 11.02 mile run (10:49 pace)
Sunday - Probably a bike ride and some yoga.