A Stroll Down Memory Lane & Big Announcement!

The past few days have been kind of, ugh, blah for me. Why? I don't know. I think this training is starting to get to me! After my long "run" on Sunday I took a much needed rest day Monday. Tuesday night I set out after work to run a quick 4 miles and then did some calisthenics outside. I don't have my times but I know each mile got faster, with the first in the 9 minute range and the last under 8.

My new calisthenics routine:

3 sets of 12 lunges
3 sets of 12 squats
3 sets of 12 side leg lifts
3 sets of 12 wall push ups (I'm a weakling, what can I say?)
60 jumping jacks

I know this sounds pretty lame, but I am just glad that I am doing any of these at all! I also add in some stretching before, during and after to break it up. I like to partner these with a short 4 mile quick run and then some sprints, but unfortunately Tuesday I just wasn't feeling any sprinting! Too bad, because sprinting is a great way to speed up your metabolism for days after your workout. Remember my workout on Saturday? That thing left me sore for days!! That's when you know you worked some muscles you don't normally work out.

Last night I was scheduled to run an easy 8 miles. I was still feeling pretty run down, tired, crappy whatever after work yesterday and I figured it would be a slow run. I did not figure that I would only have the energy to run the first 4 mile loop and then call it a night! Surprisingly, I was okay with that and not too worried about my long run this weekend.

So after my week of interesting runs, I decided yesterday that I might just need to take it easy this week in preparation for my last long run of my training before taper time, my 2nd 20 miler next Saturday. I have a meeting after work today so I won't be running (besides, it is raining cats and dogs today in Charleston, I almost flooded my car out on the way to work!) but I will be plenty busy cleaning up and preparing for my mom and younger brother to come visit this weekend!

I know I have been talking up the Cooper River Bridge Run 10k for some time now, and I really have been planning to run in it. Matt was even supposed to run it with me, but he has since decided he is not in shape enough to run it. I have a few friends who will be participating, but I just don't know if I want to spend $40 to run a bridge that I already run twice a week. What do y'all think? Plus, I spent a lot of money this week on other running related things, like.......

I finally took the plunge and REGISTERED for the NC Marathon on May 2nd!!

I have been waiting as long as possible to register, just in case my training wasn't going well or I got injured, but since the rates were going up after today I went ahead and did it! So there is NO turning back now!

The race fee was $70, which is quite a lot for me these days, and I also just spent over $100 on new running gear (which should be arriving today!!! woo hoo!!). So I just don't know if I can justify the 40 bones for the bridge run. I will keep ya updated!

I leave you today with some pictures of us from the past two years bridge runs. (I have lost a ton of weight since the 2007 race! That's always nice :)

30th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run 2007

All the ladies at the finish line!
(This was all of our longest run to that point!)



All cleaned up & ready for a night out in Chucktown
(I kind of look like an amazon woman! I promise I am barely 5'5")

2008 Cooper River Bridge Run


Veronica, Alesha, Me and Matt at the finish line
(Veronica & Alesha are going to be on our Wild West Relay team!)


Me & the boy...he was much happier at this point than when I was trying to make small talk up the bridge...

Nice stroll down memory lane...I really would like to run again this year, but I just cannot decide! Either way I have planned to do a 10k Saturday and 13 miles on Sunday. If I don't race Saturday, I will probably just do a 15 miler (or something similar) Saturday morning. Then next weekend work really hard to get in all my mileage and do awesome on my 20 miler! This time, I won't do a speed workout the day before....

(Edited to crop picture size)