Day 78 (12/21): 1 mile / 12:30

It's been a frustrating couple of weeks!  I was pretty sure of it at the time, but I pretended that I didn't overdo it during my first few days back.  Unfortunately, my hip let me know shortly after I finished that it wasn't particularly happy with my decision to push it as hard as I did.  So, there I was, back where I started and needing to let my hip recover before doing any further running.

So, instead of logging miles on the treadmill, I spent a lot of my free time reading.  Between blogs, magazines and online articles, I found a wealth of knowledge that I might otherwise not have stumbled upon during my seriously limited free time.  So, while it was important to acknowledge that my body simply wasn't in the kind of shape it was 12 years ago, I also found that there is so much about the sport that I never knew.  I decided it was time to do things differently.

My first discovery was that I really need to do something other than just run.  While running is certainly great for my health, both physically and mentally, there are so many other things that need to be factored in when it comes to being strong enough to tackle something as challenging as the marathon.  After 12 years of mastering the art of being a couch potato, it's time to challenge myself to try a few new things.  One of those new things is yoga.  I've always acknowledged that yoga was likely harder than it looked, but now I can honestly say that it's one of the harder things I've done in a long time.  Running has always come easily to me, but yoga is in a class all its own.  And while I still haven't truly pushed myself when it comes to a good yoga workout, I am also unwilling to injure myself in some other way by trying something my body isn't ready for.  I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it and look forward to making it a regular part of my training.  Thus far, I've only made it 20 minutes into the hour and a half video, but much like anything else, I know it will take some time and effort to get to the point where I can actually handle the whole thing.  I'm looking forward to that challenge.

I've also created a space in the basement for those cold winter days when I won't be running outdoors.  I certainly can't call it a home gym at this point, but after Christmas, I intend to treat myself to a few new things to complete the space.  I have my treadmill and exercise ball, as well as some key exercises posted on the wall.  I'm looking forward to adding a few weights, a dvd player and possibly a Zumba dvd.  At this point, the only place I'm willing to give something like that a try will be in the seclusion of my own basement.  I already imagine feeling like a fool, but at least I will know that none of my neighbors can laugh at me about it in the process.  Beyond that, I'm on the lookout for some motivational posters to surround myself with.  Most of my 'home gym' ideas came from a fellow runner who was able to surround herself with her many running awards and medals.  To date, I only have 2 in my own collection, so until I have a few more items to showcase, I figure the posters will have to do.

So, all I can really say about today's run was that it was slow and steady and felt great.  As much as I wanted to speed up the treadmill, I believe I've finally learned that I need to slow things down a bit and let my body catch up physically to where I am mentally.  I'm a firm believer that you can do anything you put your mind to, but sometimes your mind is a little further ahead than the rest of you.  I'm hoping these next few months will bring the results I'm hoping for and, in the meantime, I believe all I really want for Christmas is the patience to do what needs to be done to reach the goals I've set for the future.