Progress?

Last night's training jaunt was a little different. I decided to increase my jogging interval (5 min jog/1 min walk), which was cool, however, I only did 3 miles. So it was kind of bittersweet. I was bummed about only doing 3 miles but I decided not to push it and do a fourth mile as I felt like I was getting shinsplints in my left leg. I'm still struggling with some of the details of my training..."is it more important to do longer jogging intervals or more miles?" "how long should my 'long runs' be?". I'll figure it all out but I guess I'm just going to experiment and see how I feel.

Whenever I get to the end of my mileage for the interval or jogging portion, I always want to kick it up a notch and finish fast. My body's saying, "Come on, this is the end, let's make it happen, captain" but my mind's saying "Nope, we're not ready for this yet. We're just building mileage so cool your jets. There will be a time and place for building speed and kicking it up later." Aaarrrrghghghgh!! It's so frustrating sometimes!

I feel pretty good today. My legs feel strong and for lack of a better word, light. Yes, they feel light. It sounds weird and contradictory (to them feeling strong) but I don't really know how else to describe it. I've been feeling that way for about a week now and had noticed it before, usually the day after a good workout. I'm also filled with this anxious energy...I'll get up from my desk to fill up my water glass and I just want to take off running. It's kind of funny. I don't want to curse myself...hold on, let me knock on wood...but I don't think there has been a day yet where I have NOT been excited about doing my training. That makes me very happy. I think that is due to the fact that I'm not doing this to lose weight, so it doesn't feel like a chore. Since it's a personal goal and something I'm very focused on (which is rare for me because I swear I've developed adult-onset ADD), I look forward to it. I love the way I feel during and after a workout. I love to sweat!! I feel like I'm gaining a new respect for my body. We are capable of SO much and we only get one body, so it makes sense to treat it as your most precious and valuable possession. You know, all that "your body is your temple" jazz. I'm starting to really buy that. It's been a long time coming but I'm diggin' it.

I've been much more aware of the food I eat as well. This isn't to say I've done a complete overhaul and eliminated all the bad stuff. But I'm more conscious of at least attempting to eat more balanced meals...more veggies and fruits; more whole grains; less fast food and soda; more water; smaller portions, etc. You get the picture. I've been thinking of food more as fuel than something to reach out to when I'm bored. I do A LOT of mindless eating and that is something I hope to eliminate. Speaking of eating, I'm going to have some lunch. I hope to do 4 miles tonight but will probably take it pretty slow. Wish me luck (and no shinsplints) :)