It's been awhile

Haven't blogged in couple days, so I thought I would say hello. Our trip home from NYC was uneventful, just as one would hope it would be. Ethan was exhausted so it was nice having him sleep in the past few mornings. Now that I am back it is time to get back on the training stick. Wednesday evening I ran with the x-country kids. The modified kids and I did the 3 mile lake loop at Beaver lake. I ran it in 20:30 and had a 7th grader run it in just under 20 minutes. A 7th grader!!!!!! After I finished my loop I ran about a 1/2 mile back into the woods to make sure all the other kids got in safely. Lots of them ran the loop in the 21 to 22 minute range. I like how these kids are looking...we could be a strong little team this year.

On Thursday I got up early and went for my 4.72 mile run. The calves felt much better, but I have developed a major crack in my left heel and it killed and bled for the entire run. Every year it happens because I wear Birkenstocks all summer long so my feet dry out and crack. I didn't want to make an excuse out of it so I ran the entire thing in about 34 minutes and then spent the afternoon nursing it. I knew I had my golf league that evening and walking 9 holes wasn't really looking exciting, but with a little Neosporin and lots of bandage it was fine. I guess I made it easier on myself by making a concious effort to keep the ball straight and not be all over the course as I sometimes can do. I played with more 5 woods than drivers and it saved my walking effort. And when all was said and done I shot the same score I seem to shoot every week (43).

Today I got up and had a little more time because Kelly works later on Friday's. When she got back from her run that she was really excited about, I set off on my own. Kelly is finally getting over a knee issue that bothered her up to the Boilermaker. A little time down and easier running and she is feeling like she is back on top of her game. I haven't ridden my bike in a week so I decided to go out for an easy short spin to remind my muscles what biking was all about. I usually always ride on the middle chain ring for the entire time, but after watching the Tour de France time trial I thought I would give the big chain ring a try and see how my legs would respond to a run right afterwords. I really was quite comfortable for the entire ride and it didn't feel like as much work as I feared it might, and I felt like I was moving. Granted I only rode 9.5 miles, but for a test run I was excited. I then got off the bike rehydrated and went right back out for my 4.72 mile run. My legs felt loose, my breathing was exactly how I like it, and my heart rate was in a nice zone. If I were to guess I was probably working at about 75-80% of my max heart rate. I did the run in 33 minutes flat, which is one of the quicker training runs I have done on that course in some time. It was a good effort for the day. I think tomorrow I will try and go for a nice bike ride and maybe a swim. For the first time since the Tinman I feel like their is sustainable energy in the tank again. Yippeeeeee