Learning to fly

Week 3, Day 2 is when the honeymoon of the new school year came to a bitter end.  I have now heard the "I don't want to go to school"s, the "I hate doing homework!"s, and the "Why can't you just tell me the answer?"s.  And Camryn doesn't even start with homework until next week!  To use a running analogy, the first two weeks of school are the nice, easy warm up, and now I'm staring down the barrel of 800m repeats until June.  I know there will be rest intervals here and there, but I fully expect there to be times where I'm utterly exhausted and unsure if I can make it to the end.  

I'm still trying to settle into the schedule of the new school year.  I have a few hours with Camryn in the morning before she's off to afternoon kindergarten, and I've been planning our morning activities on a day to day basis, according to what kind of mood that little firecracker wakes up in.  Most days, we manage to find a good balance of work and play...either a quick clean up around the house followed by a bike ride, or a trip to Walmart to stock the fridge followed by a trip to the park to work on our ninja skills.  

Since I am no longer actively parenting 14 hours a day, I find I have more energy after the kids go to bed.  Well, most nights, anyway!  It truly is perfect timing, as I've had a surge in Fancy orders and am working hard not to fall behind on completing them.  Naturally, pumpkins are quite popular this time of year, but I've actually had quite an assortment of projects lately, and it's been a fun challenge to come up with fresh ideas on my most popular Fancy items.  

A lap desk for pink, purple, and princess-loving Rowan.  Found this crown when I Googled "princess crown clip art" and thought it was just my kind of Fancy.

I've been working hard to put the Fancy back in the Fonts.  Instead of going with fonts I've done before because it's easy, I've been attempting some new stuff (on paper first, of course!) and loving the outcome.

I typically only make custom orders, as I don't have the budget (or storage space!) for loads of inventory, but I couldn't resist making this cute little pumpkin just for the fun of it.  It's available for purchase, but I won't be heartbroken if it has to stay at my house forever.

As for my running, I have been faithful in adhering to my training plan (training for what, I'm not exactly sure!).  I'm getting my three key runs in every week, and each good workout has set me up for another.  Last week's intervals were a real confidence booster, and I went into last week's tempo run with a hopeful heart.  While I didn't quite hit my paces with the consistency I was aiming for, my average pace for the three faster miles was just two seconds off my goal pace.  But more than anything, I was excited when I realized those 5 miles finally felt like a regular run instead of a long run.  My knee seems to be holding up to the workload, and I'm thrilled to be running freely again.  

Thursday's task:  1 mile warm up, 3 miles @7:41, 1 mile cool down

Thursday's outcome:  9:26, 7:52, 7:47, 7:32, 8:25

A scheduling conflict compounded by a miscommunication led to my putting off my Saturday miles to Sunday.  I was invited to join a friend and her friend at First Landing State Park Sunday morning, and I jumped at the opportunity.  I have always wanted to run there, but I run because it's convenient, and it's a bit of a hike to get to the trail (ha ha...get it?  Hike?  Trail?  I'm hilarious.).  I'm so glad I went though, because the change of scenery was refreshing, and navigating the terrain of the trails brought my inner athlete back to the surface.  Leaping over mud puddles, stumbling (and more importantly, recovering) over tree roots, and quick stepping over sandy spots made me feel so much more in tune with my body than the monotony of a paved trail does.  Only one of my six miles was at (well, under) my goal pace, but it was a great run regardless.  And I got to finish up with some stretching at the beach, so chalk that one up in the win column.

Saturday's task:  6 miles @8:11

Saturday's outcome:  6 miles @8:47

My, what long legs you have.

64th Street

After yoga and a day off of running on Monday, it was time to hit the track (and by track I mean sidewalk) for intervals again yesterday.  

Yesterday's task:  2 x 1600 @7:08, 1 x 800 @3:26 (1 mile w/u, 1 mile c/d, 400m RI)

I was feeling really intimidated by this workout.  I don't know what a 7:08 mile feels like anymore.  The miles I've run in the 7:30s felt like all out efforts, so I wasn't sure I had 7:08 in me just yet.  I warmed up for a mile, paced around for a few seconds, took a deep breath, then gunned it.  At around the halfway point, I was struggling.  The Dominion Power truck parked completely across my path didn't help.  I kept my eyes focused straight ahead on my end point, and my mind focused on my form and my breath (which was labored, at best!).  I stopped my watch when I reached the end, afraid of what it might say.  I would have been upset with anything over 7:15.

6:24

WHAT THE???  Wow.  It certainly wasn't pretty.  It definitely wasn't quiet.  But it was done.  And I had to do it again.  Only this time I got to slow it down a little.  But I'm still figuring out how to do that.  How to slow down just enough instead of too much.  So I walked my 400m rest interval in the hot sun, took another deep breath, and got back on my horse.  The last 400m felt incredibly difficult, compounded by the hot, stinky garbage cans I was running past.  Got to my end point and looked at my watch.

6:46

I was that weird chick, walking by all the landscapers at these fancy houses, exhausted, dripping with sweat, yet grinning from ear to ear.  Just one 800 meter dash and I'd be done with my work for the day.  I could have completely blown that last interval and I wouldn't have cared.  Legs like jelly, into the wind, I hit my 800m dead on at 3:26.  Little did I know, hitting this workout would give me enough of a mental boost to get me through an afternoon of hissy fits and bad attitudes from my children.  In more ways than one, 

Mostly my own.  But sometimes my children's.  

Tomorrow's tempo is a scary one, and I haven't yet decided if I'm going to modify it or not.  I'm feeling good and strong, and I'd like to keep it that way, even if it means cutting back here and there on the training plan.  I get to race in 10 days (EEEEEK!!!) and I want to feel nothing but strong and confident going into it.  It's been six months since my last race, and I can't wait to toe the line!!!