A "She's Been MIA All Weekend" Monday Run

Run: 7.24 miles
Location: Astoria Riverwalk out-and-back
Run Time (if applicable): 58:39, 8:05 splits
Run Start: 9:05 am
Temperature: 50-ish degrees
Weather: some clouds, but mostly bright and sunny!

Notes:

I have been MIA all weekend, I know. In fact I could say I have flaked out completely for the last 72 hours. My husband and I have been planning for some time to head north for the Seattle RV show this past weekend. Our original plan was that we would stop in Longview, WA on the way up on Saturday so I could run the Heart and Sole 5k, then we'd hit the RV show with the kids the rest of the day. Then we'd stay in Seattle and hit the show some more Sunday before heading home...but my sweet husband surprised me instead! He told me that he had made some arrangements with his parents to watch the kids so he and I could spend the whole weekend together in Seattle sans kids. He was very understanding about my 5K and offered to work around it or to even forget his idea so I could run...but honestly I did not hesitate to scrap my 5K for a kid-less weekend away with my dearest love, no regrets. We don't get these opportunities often! So do not have a race report for you all on the Heart and Sole 5K, but it was worth it!

The weekend went amazing!! We purchased a travel trailer that I am beyond stoked about, had a great crab feast at The Crab Pot in Seattle (crab is my FAVORITE food!) Saturday night, then had brunch on top of the Space Needle Sunday morning! Magic! Honestly, I have always wanted to have a meal at the top of the Space Needle...and my hubby made that dream come true. So while I did not get any runs in from Fri-Sun, I'm so glad for our weekend.

So the moral of the story is...sometimes life has twists and turns that are not running friendly...do you let guilt of choosing not to run get you down? Heck no! I believe you must allow yourself to have a myriad of interests, hopes and dreams...including NON-RUNNING ones. If foregoing a run means realizing a different dream...go for it! Just get right back to running ASAP once you get back to reality ;)

Alright, so back to the run!! This morning was awesome, a far cry from my soggy last run. The sun popped out of the clouds and shined down bright. When that happens I like to believe it is just for me :)

Like many runners, I write down my scheduled runs a week in advance so I can be sure not to miss one. If I don't schedule it, it is way too easy to find excuses not to do one at all.  Based on how I was feeling, having fully indulged in food and festivities all weekend, and not run a single mile, I figured maybe a 3-miler would be sufficient. You know, an ease-you-back-in run. Nope. I flip open my planner, and 7-miler is staring me in the face. A long run, and the longest I have run in my training thus far.

So I packed my gym bag (including my big girl panties) and went for it. Seven miles felt so great. My pace was good and I felt smooth. Nothing ached substantially except my left ankle from 5-1/2 miles on. What kept going through my mind at that point was the custom-fit orthopedic inserts you can get at Road Runner Sports. I know they will help because I pronate, and the aching always happens in my medial ankle. I started out slower and managed to gradually increase my pace. I really worked hard at keeping my chin up since I tend to stare at the ground in front of me. And I really worked on keeping my shoulders square, my arms at 90 degrees and pumping my arms (keeping them an active part of my run).

I reached 7 miles before the out-and-back was complete, but instead of pushing it, I stopped and did a nice complete warm-down. It is good to know though, that there is more path for my even longer runs that will be coming up in the following weeks. Two weeks until I start official marathon training!