Week eleven: hoping to shake it off

Once again, this was a week of ups and downs. I took an extra day of rest hoping it would help my hips. It seems to be an ongoing struggle. I guess I'll be seeing my chiropractor a little more frequently in the last few weeks of training. I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about running on Monday after doing 17 on Sunday. My schedule was jammed packed this week, so it was run or miss a run. I decided before I went out that I wasn't going to worry about pace, and I would walk any hill that I encountered. This run gave me a chance to reflect on my journey as a runner and remember why I started running in the first place. It was a way to start getting healthier, and it became my way to deal with stress and take time for myself. That was my focus for this run. And it worked! I enjoyed my run for the first time in a long time! 

Tuesday was a rest day due to my busy schedule. Plus I've been resting before my long run during the week.

On Wednesday, I met Kristin for an 8 mile run. It was a little chillier than it had been, so I was looking forward to running In cooler temperatures. We decided to go with the hillier of the two routes! I was hoping that my hips were up for the challenge. They felt good for most of the run. I decided it was best to walk up the big hill that we encountered. This enabled me to finish the run strong. 

Thursday ended up being a rest day due to conferences and housework that needed to be completed when I got home. Friday was my scheduled rest day before my long run on Saturday. I woke up Saturday to rain and a bitter 40 degrees. Kristin and I decided to get in our 5 mile run in instead of 13. I forgot how much I hated running in the cold rain. 

We decided to sleep in on Sunday since it wasn't supposed to be too hot. Our run started off great. We ran the first five miles under a ten minute pace. Rookie mistake. We decided to slow our pace down, so we would be able to finish. About mile 10, the ole hips started protesting. I knew I was going to have to slow down a little bit more because of the incline in the last mile. When we got to mile 11, I decided I needed to walk. Somehow I dug deep and finished. We were 5 minutes faster than our last 13, so I'll take it. 

After our runs today, Kevin and I did t25 stretch together. I forgot how much I miss Shaun T! There's nothing like a good stretch after a long run. Hoping it helps my hips, calves, and glutes.

It's hard to believe I only have 6 more long runs before race day. This makes me both excited and anxious. I'm hoping I can find that peace and joy in running again this week. At this point, I feel like it's a job! I need to shake that feeling. Here's to another busy week with trying to get all of my runs in. Looking forward to getting in my long run with Abby this week. It's been way too long.