Slowly But Surely

I went to the gym after all on Monday and my workout went about as well as I could have expected.

I was worried about just running cold so I did 10 minutes on the exercise bike before getting on the treadmill and it worked well, got my heart rate up and everything. Then I headed over to the treadmill with a mix of anxiousness and anticipation. I wanted to run but I didn't know what to expect.

About a half-mile in, I realized that I would be able to finish just fine. I ran at a conversational pace, which is about the speed I run on during my long runs Sundays with my Lopers. That was the kind of pace I needed, not a blistering pace that could have set me back farther but one that would allow me to transition smoothly back into running.

After about a mile at a 5.5 speed, or about 10:50-per-mile pace, I got up to a 10-min-per-mile pace and ran the rest of the time at that speed. A few times my wrists hit the bar in front of me so I knew my body wanted to run a little faster, wanted to stretch my legs out but I heeded the "take it easy" warnings I received and took it easy. I also felt like running for more than the three miles I'd intended to but once I got to three miles, I reduced the speed some and walked for about 3-4 minutes to cool down.

I don't know what I had. My daughters had something and I got whatever they got. Luckily Mrs. LB has not shown any signs of any illness. It's Tuesday now, a full day after my workout and I feel great. About the only thing that is bothering me now is this cough of mine that comes and goes.

But the rest of the week I've got planned out in terms of running: The Interval on Wednesday (yay!) and a 4-5 mile run on Friday. Then I've got my 10-mile run on Sunday, so this week of build-up is important in order to get me back on track.

But at least I took the first and most important step.