Smiled at the rising sun

I shared a new goal at the end of my last post, and I'm pleased to let you know that I took a small step toward reaching it yesterday.  It was National Running Day, and as luck would have it, I had a run/walk session on the docket for today.  Furthermore, the running stars seemed to align, and J&A was having a celebratory fun run on the boardwalk at 6am.  What a great opportunity to give being more social a try!  

After a 4:45am wake-up call (and just one pounding of the snooze button), I got in the car and headed north to the oceanfront.  Unsure what the parking situation is near 31st Street at that hour (read, is there free parking up there at 6am?), I parked at 1st Street and rode my bike to King Neptune where the run was officially starting.  

I scored a sweet new J&A hat just for showing up, and the event was featured live on the morning news, which was kinda fun.  I made sure I didn't forget my warm-up , but apparently I didn't make sure to remember my watch.

Normally not a problem, but trying to do specific intervals of 2 minute runs and 30 second walks is a bit challenging to do without a timing device.  I did have my phone with me, so I just used the Map My Run app to time the intervals too.  This was a bit of a nuisance, as I had to keep tapping my screen and look at it to stay on track.  #firstworldrunnerproblems.

Today's session was a lesson in swallowing my pride.  Until today, all of my run/walks have been done around my neighborhood, which isn't exactly in the public eye.  To be completely honest, I felt a little embarrassed during my first couple of walking intervals.  Walking on National Running Day?!  Lame.  I worked my tail off during the past year to gain the speed I had before this injury, and it bugged me that I wouldn't be able to show it.  But all I did was remind myself that not a single person out there was even remotely concerned about what I was doing, and I became more comfortable and was able to focus on the task at hand.  

I finished my workout with an average pace of 10:18 min/mile, and I was pleased with that.  I really worked hard to keep my pace slower than what my body wanted to run on this gorgeous June morning.  I'm doing my best to run smart, not hard, and my body seems to be thanking me for it.  

The daily grind awaited at home, so I left J&A just as 13News was doing another little segment on the group run.  

I didn't click with anyone in particular on this group run, and I didn't walk (or should I say ride?) away with any new running buddies, but I had a good time getting out and enjoying a beautiful morning with the sea.  Would definitely do it again.

It felt like noon by the time I got home, but it was only 7am and time to get the girls ready for their day.  After getting Brynn on the bus and Camryn off to camp, I headed down to Sandbridge to join my friend on a bike ride.  I saw this guy crossing my path before turning down my friend's street and had to get out to snap a pic for my girls:

Seemed a bit symbolic for how my runs feel these days!  With my bike being such a big part of my morning, I got another handlebar shot during our ride for good measure:

Same bike, different drink!  Our beach cruise ended up being around 10 miles, bringing my grand total of miles biked to about 14.  On National Running Day.  Oh well...if I could have run the 14 miles, I would have!

I'm pleased with how the knee has held up this week, and I've got my fingers crossed that I continue this steady forward progress of recovery.  I find myself wanting to make plans for races in the fall, but I'll hold off a bit on that.  This summer is going to have to be about living in the now.  Not a bad way to live.