And it made my heart bigger

I'm really trying to hone in on my 10k training. Race with Grace 10k is just under 2 weeks away (Thanksgiving Day), and I want to run in the mid 45s. I'm tring to get amped, rev up, and focus in on my training. But this is a challenging point. There aren't that many daylight hours, and school is really picking up. Final papers and projects are due in a month, and just like the marathon, you can't prepare for them in a week. I need a decent chunk of time to do some research, methodical thinking, and then the daunting task of writing. So, as much as I would like to spend extra hours cross-training (or even resting), I just need to recognize that it's just not possible right now.

In that sense, I'm holding onto Boston training. Like last year, I'll kick off Boston training at home, right when the semester ends. I train really well when I'm at home. There are few traffic lights, lots of hills, good food, and good people. My dad and I can go to the gym in the morning before he goes to work, and then I can tag up later with Mark (triathlete bud) for my runs. I'll get a sneak preview when I'm home for Thanksgiving, and I'm holding onto that as well. But in the meanwhile...

Monday: 3 miles + weights

Tuesday: 3 miles in the morning. Afternoon track workout: 2.5 mile warm up. 2x800; 1x1600; 2x800. Do the first 2 800s in 3:32; aim to do the mile at 7:10; do the next 800 in 3:32, do the last 800 in 3:28.

Ended up running 3:32, 3:29 for the first 2 800s. Then 7:05 for the mile, then 2 3:26s. It was windy, but I held on, and even putting in the extra effort to fight the winds led to great times.

Wednesday: 5 hilly miles. I ran home from school, and was uphill most of the way. I am fortunate to have built in hills - no need to do extra training there!

Thursday: Off. Called an audible and decided to take the day off - an extra hour of sleep was worth it!

Friday: 5 hilly miles.

Saturday: 8 miles with 4 mile tempo

Sunday: 10-12 miles

Total: 43-45 miles

Today's run was hard with the hills. The route just goes up and down the whole time (an out-and-back course), climbing and descending at least 100 feet. And you know, I still felt tired today (I think I'm struggling with it getting darker earlier). But kept going and climbing. And in the end, doing the run made my heart bigger. If it was easy all of the time, there we be no challenge, and then where is the drive to keep pushing?

So, to slug it out, tough it out, and do it, generally yields positive results. I am pretty sure my heart grew a little this morning, and I'm hopeful that the hills and challenges ahead will encourage it to grow bigger!