My day started slowly with it taking much longer to get off the couch an out the door than I had Planned. When I finally stopped watching tv movies and got my sneakers on my feet it was already 11:15am! While generally this would stress me out and ruin my run,, the weather was so nice by mid day that I couldn't feel anything other than thrilled to be out in 50 degree temps!
I had 13 miles on my schedule but had taken a rest day on Friday instead of my scheduled 6 so as I headed out the door I said I'd like to get the 13 done today but I'd be just as happy to get in the missed 6 and hit 13 on Sunday. One lap of Central Park later and I was feeling awesome but ready to finish on a high instead of pushing my still temperamental legs. I'm still paying for that week off last week :(
This run was particularly enjoyable because everything just fell into place. I left my phone at home for the first time ever and ran without music. I was truly in the moment and really enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds around the park on this gorgeous March day.
My pace also felt just right. After the first mile I decided to run as slow as possible and continued to remind myself to not pass anyone. This was much harder than I expected. I'm a competitive person by nature so I usually try to stick with a fast runner or pick off the slower runners in front of me and pass them one by one. Today was all about going slow. I guessed that I must be running a 12 min mile because it felt like I was going no where! Glancing down at my farming I realized my impossibly turtle-like pace was actually 10:10 pace which is my general race pace. Isn't it amazing how your body surprises you when you least expect it! The concept of a slow/easy run had previously been lost on me. I went out with my garmin and tried to run as fast as I could for every run. This hasn't gotten me anywhere so after my Saturday success, I'm all about taking my easy runs when scheduled as well as working in hills and tempos...there might be something to all this training advice after all. If only I'd figured this out sooner.
My afternoon was a series of failures that put me in a pretty bad mood. Nothing was working out right so I decided that if all the fun was going to be sucked out of my Saturday then I'd might as well be productive. Off to Trader Joe's I went and I was so eased with everything I picked up. Frozen mixed peppers, Luna bars, Mac and cheese, and the most amazing fresh bread! This put me in a much better mood. Particularly the Luna bars. When I was hitting the gym before work in the fall, a peanut butter cookie Luna bar and a banana were breakfast every morning. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to those Luna bars! They are just the perfect balance of taste and nutrition and are perfect for tossing into a gym bag.
I'll leave you with a few pictures I took along Central Park West on my way home from Trader Joes.
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| Its totally normal to march around as revolutionary war soldiers. The New York Historical Society usually has a few costumed actors out front on the weekend but today was the largest group I'd seen yet. |
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| The trees are starting to bloom! |
The pattern of cobblestone is just beautiful!
