Sunday, August 29, 2010

A Back to School Run

I am in the taper now, which is a relief. There is such a thrill of running 60 mpw, but the exhaustion that accompanies it is a challenge. It has taught me a lot, running on tired legs, but it is a good feeling to start to cut back:

Monday, August 23: OFF

Tuesday, August 24: 2.5 mile warm-up; 8x800; 1 lap jog between reps. Start at 3:40 and cut-down about 3 seconds per rep. 2.5 mile cool-down. Total mileage—10 miles

Wednesday, August 25: 6 miles easy, swim 1050 yards

Thursday, August 26: 9 miles easy

Friday, August 27: 8 miles easy

Saturday, August 28: Off

Sunday, August 29: 16 miles easy

Total Mileage: 49 miles

Tomorrow is the first day of school. It is my first day as a PhD student, and my first day as a Teaching Assistant. While I am at the same university that I did my master's degree, it is a new step in my academic career. Naturally, there are some butterflies associated with the big day, so I used my run today to reflect on the upcoming semester and year. But butterflies are good, they mean excitement, and I am excited. This morning was another hilly run. 16 miles, around 8:25 pace. I tried to seek shade whenever possible, because things are still heating up in DC. Will be very happy to go up north for the marathon. Anyways, 16 miles was far enough for some quality thinking and reflection.

My marathon (Rochester) is exactly 2 weeks away. I am also starting to get excited about that. I can't wait to go home and do a hometown marathon. I feel like that gives me an edge - even though almost everyone else running it is from Rochester too. But I feel proud to represent my hometown, my family, and I think that feeling will boost me up during the hard miles.

The hills were hard, and I actually used that feeling as a confidence booster, not just for the marathon, but for the upcoming year. If I can do these hard runs, surely I can lead successful discussions with undergrads, write good papers, and in general run through this semester with head held high. So, with just over 12 hours to go before I walk into my first class, it is time for bed and to dream of a good year.

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