The Final Countdown . . .

So I went to the NAMI walk at the Sam Lena Park this morning with Kyli, Lani, and the whole gang. It was a "5K walk" to support the National Alliance for Mental Illness. But, I didn't want to walk and then go out running afterward, so I ran instead. There were a handful of other people that did as well, so I didn't feel so silly.

Even though my calves were randomly sore (I have no idea how, but they felt like I had majorly worked them out - maybe I'm doing calf raises in my sleep?) I went ahead and ran two laps. It worked out well since I started in the front of the pack and by the time I ended I was passing the last part of the pack. The first half mile was rough, but it always is. Then I found my groove. A little after the first mile, I felt some twinges in my shins and joints, but they quickly went away. I'm noticing this happens pretty much every time I run, and right after a mile or so.

When I finished the first lap, I felt really good. Not winded. Not tired. I looked at my stopwatch and saw 23 minutes . . . Either I magically shaved a third of my mile time off, or this was a two mile track. Yes, I am truly a slow runner. I average an 11 minute mile. I later found out that it is indeed a two miler. No problem! So, I went back for more!

The second lap wasn't so bad either. My breath and heart felt fine. My legs felt fine. But I was starting to get a little tired. I actually wanted to go one more time around, but as I mentioned before, the group of walkers were all finishing, and I wanted to spend some time hanging out with the people I came with.

We enjoyed some Eeggee's and relaxed a bit before heading out. All in all, it was a great start to my day. I was especially excited that I ran 4 miles with no problem, and that I could have gone more. Now I need to make a game plan, since I have four weeks left . . .

Here's what I'm thinking (I'm making this up right now) . . .

Mon - Spin (It's ridiculously fun and is hard cardio with low impact)
Tue - weights
Wed - Long run - 6 miles (Reid Park x2)
Thur - weights
Fri - 4 miles
Sat - 5 miles (maybe in between Gen Conf sessions)

And the final countdown begins . . .