I realized while looking back at the calendar that I did two double digit runs this month. That made me smile. I tweaked my training this week to avoid running too many miles on consecutive days. I’m also trying to incorporate more strength training and alternative cardio into the schedule.

A note on what I mean by strength training; I do not follow any specific strength training routine which may cause some to gasp and cringe. Prior to my pregnancy 6 years ago I worked with a physical trainer for about 6 sessions. I learned how to use my gym’s equipment as well as some basic free weight exercises so I continue to utilize that information in my strength training workouts. I use the Nike Training App on my phone which demonstrates various exercises. I also mimic what I see others doing asking for tips if I’m not quite sure that I’m doing the exercise properly. Because my strength training is not very organized I don’t provide a detailed description of what I do. I am hoping to further my knowledge in this area once my son begins full day kindergarten in the fall and I have more time to spend at the gym.

It was a busy week with some workout ups and some workout downs along the way.

Sunday morning I hit the gym right after work. Since I had run 8 miles the day before and I knew that I was going to ice skating lessons that evening I decided to switch up my cardio activity. I haven’t used the elliptical in a long time. I tried to push as fast as I could and I was sweating by the time I finished.

Later in the day I had ice skating lessons. I love it so far though I’m pretty sure people who know me think I’m a bit of a kook. I mean who takes up ice skating as an adult? Well me and about 30 other grown ups! We are learning proper form, falling and getting up, turning, stopping, cross over skating and backwards skating. It is not easy, but we are all quite serious and working very hard to learn. The instructors have the patience of saints. They are so incredibly nice and encouraging. It is a very positive and supportive environment. Learning how to ice skate at nearly 40 years of age is quite humbling. Raising a child, I now realize how much easier it is to learn certain things when you are young. I am so grateful that I am able to provide my son with the opportunity to learn a variety of activities while he is young as well as instill the importance of being active.

Monday morning I decided to run at the gym because of the weather. I noticed my ankles and shins were bothering me. I adjusted my sneakers and tied them a bit tighter. It helped a bit but not entirely. I pushed through because I wasn’t in pain but I could sense the discomfort particularly in my right foot. I assumed it was my sneakers. On top of the ankle/shin issue I had a little stomach trouble and had to abandon the treadmill after a couple of miles. I returned and kept going, but it wasn’t a great run. It took me over 55 minutes to do 5 miles. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized my lower legs were sore from all the bending we did in ice skating. I iced my shins and took some Ibuprofen. By work that night I was good as new.

On Thursday I had great intentions to get up at 5am and go to the gym, but the alarm never went off (probably because I accidentally never set it) so this meant a late in the day workout. I did my best to convince myself all afternoon that I wasn’t going to run. Finally I ignored the devil telling me to scrap the run and changed into my running garb so I was ready to hit the road once my husband got home. Before I knew it I was out the door. It was cold and a bit windy, but I maintained a decent pace. In no time I was home again feeling really great about having gone out for a run.

The week ended on a high note. My 10 mile run was fantastic!! Despite not going into it with a 100% positive attitude because I was tired from work I went out there and killed it. As I neared the end of the 10 miles I did some quick mental math and determined that if I could have held onto that pace for another 3 miles I would be looking at a pretty awesome PR for my next half marathon.

From a crappy run at the beginning of the week to a stellar double digit run that filled me with possibilities of a half marathon PR, this is why I love running. One day, one workout, or one run does not define me. It is the cumulative actions of my commitment to running and exercising that fills me with the confidence to run races, try new activities and challenge myself to go further, do better and become stronger.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.  ~Edmund Hillary