Here we go

I most likely failed to report back on monday night because I had a horrible run. Not sure if was from lack of sleep, fatigue from the bike ride, or lingering effects from 4.5 miles on the treadmill on Sunday, but it was not enjoyable. I set out thinking of at least 3+ miles, trying to get some more mileage under my belt, but failed to clearly define a goal distance or route, big mistake. From the very start, my heels and achilles were in trouble and I basically had a mental breakdown less than a mile into the run. I told myself there was no way I was going to finish, and 3 walking breaks and 30+ minutes later I returned after 3 miles.

Very discouraged and still aching I took off yesterday completely as there is no real detrimental effects of missing a day, while the benefits were felt today. I mapped out a new route of 3 miles using MapMyRun (spent my lunch break mapping out numerous routes around Orlando to start mixing up my runs) and set out about an hour after dinner as the sun was setting. I really tried hard to maintain an easy steady pace and finished without any problems or discomfort in 26 minutes.

A number of factors played into rediscovering my confidence. First off, I drank about a gallon of water throughout the day taking care of any hydration issues. Secondly, my breathing was much improved over any previous runs, something that I believe was benefitted from cross training on the bike. Lastly and most important, my mindset was that I was going to go running for 3 miles and finish. That was it, no time goals, no pre-conceived injurys, no excuses.

I also picked up my race packet for the race that is now looming 3 days from tomorrow morning, and my race number for the whole Track Shack Grand Prix is "357" and if anyone is interested in tracking my results, you can at the TrackShack website.

"If you never take the first step of a race, then it is impossible to take the last." ~Carter Hunt