Adapting to Change

No, I'm not talking about healthcare or anything political...I'm referring to going from running 10 - 12 miles with a group of people I really like to running maybe 3 miles with my dog. I love my dog but it wasn't quite the same this morning.

But if I focus on the positive, I can say that "at least I ran".  I went very sloooooowwww and paid close attention to keeping my form correct, i.e., no weird swinging of my left leg, which I tend to do sometimes.

My goal was to run only on grass or ashphalt but absolutely no concrete. I took Daisy along, thinking that would force me to stop occasionally since she likes to do that. We did stop a lot, but I had forgotten that I had basically trained her to run on the sidewalk and well, she ran on the sidewalk. Sidewalks are made of concrete, did you know that? 

But the bottom line is: I ran and I'm glad for it. Even though I felt somewhat lonely - knowing that all my friends were running either 12 or 20 miles today, laughing and joking the whole way - I knew I was doing the right thing. But I was lonely.

So, for now, this is my plan:

1. Run 2-3 days a week (what I was doing before) but keep the mileage low and slow, instead of doing tempo runs and going up to to 12 or more on my long runs, I'll keep it at 5-6 for awhile.
2. Bike 3 days a week, whether its Spinervals or outdoor riding. I want to include one Spinerval workout/week, however, and focus on speed and hill climbing to build strength
3. Swim 3 days/week
4. Lift 2 days/week and get started on a core strengthening program

The weird thing is, that without running hard, I don't get the "fit" feeling I usually have. I feel soft and unfit and I don't like that. That's why its so hard. I don't get the same zen from biking and swimming that I do from running. Then again, maybe I never tried to do that either.

So, lastly, I think I need some kind of daily meditation to keep my head on straight, to not go down the path of self-pity or "awfulizing" (thinking the worst) and to help me think positive. After all, this Ironman is all about having a better experience than my first one and that will mean finishing strong and well, faster than before.

So that's the plan and I'm stickin' to it.