... annnnnd I'm back!

Miss me?  ;)

So an update on the quad... I let it rest on Thursday and Friday. I woke up Saturday and it felt better so I decided to do my 3.5 miler and see what happened.  It.was.great.  I felt great, I had energy and even though I felt my quad because it seemed a little tight, it didn't hurt.  I saw that as a good sign.  I made sure to stretch it out after the Saturday run, and even iced it for a little while.  I figured it couldn't hurt, right?

Here was the breakdown of the run around my neighborhood. Total time 35:10

Mile 1 - 10:03

Mile 2 - 10:13

Mile 3 - 10:13

Mile 0.5 - 4:42

Feeling all sorts of wild and crazy, I decided to do my 5 miler Sunday, too.  Also, a very smart decision on my part. Total time 50:49

Mile 1 - 9:49

Mile 2 - 9:53

Mile 3 - 10:13

Mile 4 - 10:22

Mile 5 - 10:32

Even though I was forced to slow down a little the last few miles, it was another great run for the books.  The quad felt really good.  My legs started to poop out on me around mile 4 but I just kept on pushing through.  It felt good to get out in the beautiful weather we've been having here (40's and sunny in January?  Unheard of!) and I really wanted to take advantage of it before it disappears into blizzardy, freezing, icy, snowy delightfulness.  UGH!!

So I'm contributing my recent running success to a few things.  One, the 2 day break to let my quad rest gave my legs a chance to recover more than normal and definitely helped my running this weekend. Two, I have been "dieting" this past week and it's amazing how eating healthy can change your whole energy level.  I always feel so much better physically and mentally when my diet is in check. Three, motivational blogs.  I often think about some of the blogs I have read over the past few days while I'm running.  The stories that people have told in their blogs and their ability to keep pushing through the pain motivates me more than I can express.  Plus, I've always liked a healthy dose of competition.  If they can do 5 miles, I surely can do 5 miles too.  Just gotta be like Nike- JUST DO IT!

Wow did I really just say that in my blog??? smh at myself...

Also, ZUMBA started back today.  Another activity that I love, but has been on break since before Christmas.  Something about ZUMBA just makes me happy.  The instructor is my sis in law's (Shannon) aunt and she is energetic and great fun.  She is also a marathoner and personal trainer, very cool.  Anywho, ZUMBA was very fun until I did one too many squats and my quad tensed up.  UGH.  I took it easier on the squats and lunges from that point forward and the quad seemed to loosen back up again.  I made sure to stretch it out again, but I was a little annoyed.  Let's hope that at volleyball tomorrow, quad muscle behaves.  I'll make sure to warm up properly this time, I promise.

Now I must sleep! More on the "diet" in a blog later this week! Oh so thrilling, you won't want to miss it!

P.S. Look at my super cute Kindle case that I ordered from Etsy.  It's like a lil sleeping bag for my Kindle. <3 

Here is the link to Michelle's shop.