Holy Crapoli

I had some really great runs lately!  I've tried to push myself a little harder either on long runs or with my pace, and it's paid off.  In addition to that, I've been going to boot camp six days per week, so on the days I've run it's been my second workout of the day.  My workout gear has definitely been getting washed more often than any of my other clothes.  Anyway, here's a breakdown of the past few runs:

4/19/11
4.08 miles in 43:13
Avg pace 10:36

4/22/11 (my birthday)
3.22 miles in 33:06
Avg pace 10:17

4/24/11 (Easter)
6 miles in 1:02:04
Avg pace 10:21

My birthday run was by far the best run I had ever had....until 2 days later, that is!  Really though, those 3 miles at a 10:17 pace was what really made me stop and think to myself, "I'm a runner."  I think this is something most newbie runners struggle with, and I'm no exception.  Even after finishing a 1/2 marathon and running the whole damn thing, I struggle with calling myself a runner, since I tend to be so much slower than anyone else who runs.  After my birthday run, I definitely felt like a runner, and that is truly such a crazy feeling!  Man, and THEN Sunday happened!  I had a goal to run 5 miles at a 10:45 pace or faster and just before I left, I planned a different route and set out to run 6 miles.  I trucked right along and every now and then would pause my music to hear my current pace, average pace, and distance (via the Cyclemeter app on my iPhone) and was pretty happy to know my pace was staying pretty consistent.  In fact, my first 3 miles were all under 10 minute miles, and that's a first too.  I will say that there was a section about 1/2 to 3/4 mile long that was a downhill stretch, but there was also a 1/2 to 3/4 mile stretch that was uphill, and my pace was consistent throughout the run, with the exception of mile 4 when I spent some time recovering from that uphill stretch. 

On another note, Lent has come and gone and there were only a handful of times where I REALLY wanted to have a beer, but I didn't.  Easter was celebrated with a few (ok, several) glasses of wine and lots of water.  I wasn't necessarily drunk, and I certainly wasn't hungover the next day, but I definitely felt off-kilter at boot camp on Monday morning.  So off-kilter, in face, that I went home and slept for another 2 hours afterward.  I've never felt that way after boot camp, and I don't want it to happen again. 

I'm a few tenths of a pound from reaching my goal weight, which is awesome.  I don't think I'll be making it to my goal weight this week, as my birthday, birthday celebrations with my parents, Easter, and Josh's birthday have resulted in poor food decisions.  I did take photos back in January/February and have an "after" picture I took on 4/23/11.  I'm still not confident enough to post them, mostly because I have no idea who is reading this blog and I don't need my sports-bra picture to show up in the hands of my clients at work.  So, I don't think I'll be posting those on here any time soon (or ever).  I will say there is a noticeable difference in my shape, and it's really fun to look at the differences between then and now.