I have been fortunate enough to have the last two weeks off for vacation. I've had plenty of projects to do to keep me out of trouble. I am most grateful to have had the time to spend working out, going to the gym, and running along the trail the few times the sun was out. The first couple days were pretty dreadful and it was difficult to get out of bed the next day because my body was screaming at me. But now, even though it remains a challenge to actually start exercising, once I get moving I feel so much stronger.
Today on the treadmill, I realized that I haven't really enjoyed working out since June last year. I still managed to keep up my long runs and complete a number of races in the fall but the whole endeavor had lost its sparkle and enjoyment. I had completely stopped working out mid-week with any kind of consistency. My overall fitness suffered tremendously. Now, after two weeks of consistent daily workouts focused on building up my fitness level, I feel pure joy when I am working out. The body is amazing thing. Its ability to recover and gain strength is remarkable. I was on the treadmill for over an hour today. The Rose Bowl was on and I was waiting for half time to hop off and do weights. I had been doing an easy interval workout with lots of walking to recover from long run yesterday and prepare for race tomorrow. But I threw in a number of intervals in to mix things up a bit. With two minutes left on the timer, I ran at 6.0 for 1 minute. I did this maybe 10 days ago and completed it but barely. And I didn't do it at the END of my workout. I set the treadmill at 6.0 and did 1 minute without a problem. Probably could have completed an additional minute (but not much more). If I was able to bare run a 10 min/mile pace for 1 minute less than two weeks ago and now can maintain that pace without a problem, I wonder what pace I will be able to maintain two weeks from now?!? The possibilities are endless and I can think of no better way to start the new year.
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