Free Day

I was off work today for President's Day, but Leo had to work, as did almost everyone else I know, so I was pretty much on my own for the day. I had this great plan to get some shopping done and get some warm weather clothes for Argentina, but as usual the day did not go as I planned. I managed to drag myself out of bed at 7:30 to do a 5.75 mile run through Delhi (= lots of big hills.) I felt pretty good, but I sometimes I can't shake the brain fog when I haven't had any coffee in the morning. There were some flurries falling, but the weather was not too bad. I was glad to get my run in earlier since later this afternoon the snow was falling hard and sideways. I met a friend for lunch and actually drove to the mall and turned around and went home. I was so tired, I knew shopping was out of the question. I did stop by the Running Spot to see if they had anything good left at the clearance sale. I got a sweet Triks running skirt that is actually quite flattering for 50% off. I really resisted the running skirt when they first came out, but after trying one I really liked it. They are really comfortable and cuter than most of my running shorts.
As predicted, there was tons of ice last Wednesday, and I had to forgo the group run for a fabulous six miles on the treadmill at the gym. Even with my person TV, MP3 player, and lots of people to look at, I still spent most of the time staring at the clock wishing I could just stop. I managed to force myself to do the miles, but only at 5.8 to 6.0. Its so weird, because I can do a 9:30 mile without thinking about it outside, but on the treadmill I'm doing 10 minute miles and its excruciating. Who knows, I got it over with and got the miles in. Last Saturday, the group met at Lunken. We ran down Eastern and back. Eastern is not my favorite place to run, but I will take that over the Lunken loop. It was a gorgeous morning and I felt good enough to push myself a little. It was a cut back week, so we were only doing 7 miles. (Of course, there was an optional add on at the end, but I have a mental block about adding miles on at the end of a run when I see everyone stopping.) I averaged a 9:15 mile, which I am really happy with. I also got to meet a few new people. Lindsay didn't show up and Holly wasn't feeling well enough to keep up, so I got to chat with a few new people. It was one of those runs that makes me remember why I started running. I ended feeling great physically and mentally.
On Sunday I was determined to get into the spinning class at the gym. Since 15 minutes early wasn't enough last time, I drug myself out of bed at 8:30 slightly hung over so I could get to the gym by 9:20. That's 40 minutes before the class starts, and I thought there was no way it would be full. Once again - wrong. Seriously, the peole must get there at 8:00 a.m. Either that, or someone is letting them sign up ahead of time and not sharing that information with the rest of the gym members. I was pissed but made myself stay to do 30 minutes on the elyptical and lift weights.
In all, it was an okay weekend. At least now I feel 100% healthy again and ready to resume my normal training schedule. Hopefully that will still be possible this week since I have a training for work that lasts Wednesday - Friday and is off site. We'll see.