I just went for my first run in 4 weeks. The last time I ran was the day of the shooting at Fort Hood(April 2) and was my way to process the events of that day. Since then we have moved to another Army post in a different state. Tonight was sort of an exploratory run as I try to find new running routes. The route we used tonight will be good for long runs(even though we just did 3 miles) but I will have to find something closer to home with better lighting for my short week night runs.
It wasn't a great run but it was a way for me to shake out my legs and get ready for some upcoming races. I am hoping to do a 10K at the end of May here on post and possibly another race the weekend after. I know the 10K is completely doable, the second race I am not as convinced. We will see how my body feels and what the weather is like. I am going to be trying to get in some runs that are longer than a 10K during the weekends leading up to the race so that my 10K will hopefully be a little faster. I am hoping to have a good finish time to possibly use for race proof of time down the road. My goal this summer as I train for Avengers in November is to get faster and have a strong finish at that race.
I had made great strides last year but I let the disappointment at Tower of Terror get me down and I didn't continue training like I should have. If I had, my last few races would have been much stronger. I am hoping to be able to have a sub 3 hour half by the end of the year, but we will see how it goes.
I'm ready to refocus on my training and get back into everything. I am going to start really trying to work on my strength training this summer as well, since my Avengers specific race training doesn't have to start until the end of July and if I am maintaining a decent mileage each week until then, it won't start getting hard until a few weeks later, giving me all summer to work on my strength.
We are only going to be at this post for 6-7 months and I am going to try to use that time to really buckle down and start making some progress with my running and my overall fitness. Mac will have a lot more time since he is in a school and no longer a commander so he will be able to help me work on building upper body and core strength. As long as I can figure out a good week night running route, everything should be set up for a successful summer.
