Today was supposed to be a day off from running, but on the way back from taking my daughter to school, I started thinking about running again today. I was CRAVING it. I wasn't sure if I should, though. Then I saw a runner on the sidewalk along the road I was driving on, and I knew I just HAD to run again today. My legs, hips, and knee were feeling great and I was feeling energized. So when I got home, I suited up, and off I went.
It was a GREAT run. I was so right about my body being ready to run again today. I'm not sure where all the energy came from (the new diet I'm on, maybe?), but for the first interval, I ran further and at a faster pace. I also did something else a little different this time: Instead of the sidewalk, I ran in the grass along the road in some places, and down the side of a hill and back up again. I figured it would work some of my other leg muscles and help balance things out. By the time I was done, I had run a total of 11 minutes, which is the longest I've run so far. I thought I was going to stop running at 10 minutes, but as I was slowing down to a walk, I thought, "No. I can keep running," so I started running again. Another minute, and then I knew I was done. Energy-wise, I could have kept going. Muscle-wise, it was time to stop.
I did lots of stretching beforehand and afterward. This is the first time I've ever run two days in a row, and I admit, it scares me a bit. Tonight, I plan to do the foam roller exercises again. Need to cover all my bases to make sure I don't get injured again.
By the way, I weighed myself this morning, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I've lost 2.5 lbs so far this week! The week isn't even over yet, Monday is the "official" weigh-in day. I'm pretty impressed with this new diet, not only with the weight loss, but with how filling the homemade shakes and meals are, how tasty the recipes are, and how my cravings seem to be diminishing.
Monday starts Phase 2 of the diet, the "Carb-lovers immersion plan," and as I was reviewing it yesterday, the meals have more ingredients and take longer to fix, and I have to confess it made me want to squeal like a pig. I'm big on convenience, which I'm working on, but taking longer than five minutes to fix a breakfast or lunch does NOT appeal to me. Dinner is a different story, the day is coming to an end and things are usually slowing down, but at breakfast and lunch, I'm either trying to get my daughter out the door to school or coming back from getting her and starving (and often planning to go somewhere else not long after).
But not to fear, the meal plans also include a healthy frozen meal alternative for busier days. I did say I wanted to get back in the groove of healthier eating, so I just need to bite the bullet and take more time to prepare healthier meals. I can always prepare many of them the night before, which will help.
My next run day should be Saturday. Tomorrow I'll mostly rest from exercise, except I might do strength training, focusing on the upper body, and more stretching.
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