ending on a high note
This weekend got off to a rough start. I’m much more sleep deprived now that I’m back to work than I was when I was off since I am waking up an hour and a half earlier now. A 6:30 AM wakeup call from The Baby certainly doesn’t help with the sleep deprivation, but I was more than happy to spend some alone time with MacKenna before her morning nap + before Daddy woke up.
Once Mac was down for her morning nap, I decided to bundle up and run outside. I’ve been such a wimp lately with my runs and I know I need to get outside a little more so I actually experience some hills and pavement pounding. I had eaten some Golden Grahams (dry) + peanuts a little earlier, thinking it would help fuel me on my run. Instead, I ended up with a stitch in my side a half mile in that didn’t go away the entire 4 miles. It was not a great way to start my weekend, but at least I was still maintaining a decent pace, albeit slower than I would have liked.
Luckily, my run on Sunday morning made up for it. I bundled up again for a chilly run outside. Just a few steps in, I knew this was going to be a great run. My legs felt fresh and flowed from one stride to the next. My lungs burned like they would after a tough run, which is one of my favorite feelings in the entire world. A much, much better run than just 24 hours earlier.
That run made me feel like a runner again. It’s been a long time since I actually felt like a runner. Sure, I ran up to the day MacKenna was born, but throughout my pregnancy, I never actually felt like a runner. Running whilst pregnant was really hard for me. I know several runners who were able to maintain almost the same pace during their pregnancy as they did before they were pregnant. Not me. I went from running sub-8 minute miles to 11-minute miles or more. I was run/walking from very early on in my pregnancy because I just couldn’t handle the pounding.
I missed the easy flow of my legs while running. I missed the burning of my lungs a hard run would give me. For the first time in a year, I felt the easiness of running and that burning in my lungs again. And it felt amazing!
It only takes one run. It only takes one run to make you feel horrible about running. But, the next run can be one of the best of your life. I have confidence in my running again. While I’m still a ways away from the speed I used to be running, I now am confident I can get back to where I was a year ago.
With such a good run, I ended my weekend with a celebratory beer. My weekend definitely ended on a high note!
Did you run/swim/bike/elliptical/etc. this weekend? How did you end your weekend?
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