Recovery is Easy in Florida

We had a week off from school for spring break, so I went to Florida to visit a colleague and friend of mine, Jenny. We met last summer at CTY and really hit it off. Now, she is going to train for her first marathon - the Marine Corps Marathon - and I am going to run it with her. Anyways, she has 3 kids, ranging from 5 to 13, and I haven't seen them since early August, so I thought a trip to Florida was a great way to spend spring break. It was also my recovery week in cycle 3, which was excellent timing.

I was definitely right! What a great vacation - best one I've been on in years. We got some great runs near the beach (see first picture). Spring was just around the corner in DC, but it was mid 70s all week in Florida. It felt great to have shorts on all day!

So yes, this is 5 year old Henry, who calls me his girlfriend. He was over the moon that I was there for a whole week, and had a lot of fun introducing me to his teacher, friends, cousins, and even other kids on the playground. This is him getting ready to go to the beach. He is so sweet, he said "I love you, Vanessa" every day and gave me lots of hugs. What a heart breaker.

This was me at the beach on Wednesday.

Thursday, Jenny and I went out to dinner.

She is a really good person, and I am so fortunate that we met last year and made a great connection. Jenny also has a great family. In addition to Henry, she has 2 kids, John and Maddy (13 and almost 11), who are wonderful, as is her husband (who is a high school history teacher - so we have a lot in common). I just felt really comfortable at her house, and her extended family is great, too. On Wednesday, she had to work, so her dad (who I had just met a few days before) picked me up, took me out to lunch and to the beach!

All in all, a great vacation. Very relaxing and just fun to be a part of someone's family for a week. Went to soccer games, picked up Henry from school, helped with spelling homework, etc. It was just what I needed. Just good clean fun - a lost art. Lots of laughs and smiles all week.

Now back to reality. But I am holding onto that vacation high for a while. My eyes are turned forward, for the National Half Marathon is on Saturday. I am very excited about it - my first race of 2010, and hopefully a testament of how well training has been going. It is my A goal to break 1:40, so hopefully that happens. Here's what I'll be doing to get ready..

Tuesday, March 16: 2.5 mile warm-up; 1x1200, 1x800, 4x400; aim for 5:40, 3:38, and 1:44 (for all of the 400s); take 1 lap easy between each interval. 2.5 mile cool down. Total mileage—9 miles

Wednesday, March 17: 6 miles easy

Thursday, March 18: 9 miles easy

Friday, March 19: OFF

Saturday, March 20: National Half! 2 mile warm-up, Race (goal: sub 1:40), 2 mile cool-down. Total mileage—17 miles

Sunday, March 21: 8 miles easy

Weekly Mileage Total: 49 miles