Reasons To Run Early

1.  You are not sitting on the couch drinking coffee and checking Facebook when your friend and Princess training team member, Jessica, posts her "yucky" run/weather report.
2. It is, in fact, much cooler if you run earlier.
3. You avoid the traffic.  I was buzzed by a Bentley and a Cadillac got a bit close. *** Unscientific Experiment***  The crappier the car, the more space they give you on the road.  
4. You are running with Marathon Barbie and Triathlon Ken.  It's a love hate relationship, but they do inspire.  Geriatric George also inspires, but not as much.
5. You have time for a longer cool down before you have to hop in the shower and head out to work.

Today's Run:  A Friday 5K.  3.1 miles.  38:40 mins.   12.26min/mile.

What are you doing for exercise today?

Accountability

I had a late start this morning.  Brian was home.  There was extra activity this morning getting everyone out of the house.  Once it quieted down I considered just blowing off the arm/ab workout.  I had my excuses ready:  I'm still sore from Tuesday, the late start, I have to be somewhere in three hours.  Then I thought about having to write in my training log that I just didn't do it.  And the excuses were pretty weak.  So, I put Carley on her leash and took her out for her walk (I use this as a warm up, and she looks forward to it).  Then I headed upstairs.

I did the arm workout again, but the push-ups were admittedly weak.  

I changed up the ab workout a bit.  

• 30 crunches
• 30 second plank
• lower ab/leg lift (I don't know what these are called, but are my nemesis, so I thought I should add them.)
• 30 left oblique crunches
• 30 right oblique crunches
• 30 crunches
• 15 second plank

I'm sure I will feel that.  I also have some Ab workout DVDs on hold at the library.  

I ended my workout with the dreaded foam roller.  

Done.  

Aches and Pains

Before I stepped out the door this morning, I had dubbed this The Aches and Pains Run.  Not a good start.

• My right foot is pretending it has plantar fasciitis. It doesn't.  I refuse to be sidelined with this.  Luckily, it doesn't hurt while I am running.  To be on the safe side, here are the exercises I am adding to prevent it from getting worse.
• My arm workout from yesterday has left me a bit sore.  Not a bad sore, just the kind that hurts worse if you bounce up and down.
• Let's add general aches and pains in my knees and ankles.  These will always be there, so I usually just ignore them, but today I cataloged them.
• I get migraines.  I usually need a couple of triggers to be present for one to appear.  One trigger is here; I can't do anything about it.  Drinking too much caffeinated soda is a big trigger for me.  I no longer drink soda. Another trigger is exercise-induced; going too far or too fast.  In the past, my best workouts have resulted in my worst migraines.  I haven't had one in a while (knock on wood), but I am also being very mindful of what my triggers are.  

I meant to grab my iPod before I headed out this morning.  I thought it would distract me from my whining.  I forgot it.  

I was running very slow.  As I headed uphill on my third interval, my mantra was "I'm not feeling it".  Oops.  Still, I kept going.

When I walked in the front door to pick up my water and get Carley for her walk, I wasn't even winded.  It felt a bit like a wasted run.

Running is mental:  I had a lot of negative thoughts this morning.  It translated to a less than stellar run.

Here's the crazy part:  knowing I was hurting, knowing there was a possibility of a migraine on the other end; I went anyway.

Today's run:  3.1 miles.  40:25 minutes. 13 min/mile pace.

What are you doing today?