Run January: Week 1

Last December, I mentioned that I had lost my running mojo.  I had lost my everything mojo because I had no umph to get up and workout.  Which is really odd for me because I LOVE working out.  I also LOVE running, so to have my thoughts change and become “meh” about the whole situation meant that something was going on.

I determined that my hip injury coupled with an unfortunate encounter, left me feeling very uninspired and frustrated which lead to feeling blah about running.  In an effort to change this around and find my running mojo again, January has become, Run January.

Let’s recap Week 1!

Sunday January 1st: 

I love starting a new month on a Sunday and the fact that this was a brand new year starting on a Sunday was even better!  I woke up to a typical Columbus, Ohio winter day.  Gloomy, rainy, and windy.  Blech!  It wasn’t raining at the time but it looked like it was about to start and rain was in the forecast.  I sucked it up and decided to head out before the rain rolled in.

I hate running in wind or any sort of breeze, however, that breeze helped me out today.  The temp at the start of my run was 45F but since it was windy I dressed a little warmer than I normally would have.  Silly, this caused me to completely over dress and I was hot during my run.  Ick!  The breeze become a welcome friend because it helped to cool me off and keep me from over heating.

The run was alright, I did a short 2.5er around the neighborhood.  I would have done more but I was feeling sluggish and had a splitting headache (Uh, hello too much prosecco the night before! Happy New Year indeed.).  I still felt strong during my run though and being outside again for some cardio, enjoying some fresh air was fully reengerizing.

Monday, January 2nd:

Plopped my butt on the couch.  We were experiencing major wind that day and there’s no way I would have been able to run in it.  I was bummed to have to cut out that early into the first week!  It was also the last day of holiday vacation so being bummed out about the situation was short lived.

Tuesday, January 3rd:

Still pretty breezy out but it wasn’t as bad as Monday and there was no way I was going to miss two days in a row!  I headed out into the chill, temps were in the teens with a wind chill in the single digits.  I was able to crank out 3 miles.

Wednesday, January 4th:

It was warmer this morning but the breeze was also a lot stronger.  It was heavier than I like to run in and 2.5 was all that I could manage before heading home.  Brrr!

Thursday, January 5th:

Perfect! It was in the mid-20s to start, the sun was shining, and there was no breeze! The downside being that my legs were so very tired and I struggled hard with this run.  I made it four miles but I had to push and fight to get there.  My thigh muscles just did not want to keep going.

They started getting sore on me by Wednesday and I had Scott massage them.  That helped a lot but today’s run still was sluggish and my quads felt tense.

Friday, January 6th:

Had to take the day off.  No way would my legs have been able to handle another run, even if it was short.  I didn’t want to risk causing the muscles to tighten any further.  Thursday evening I had Scott massage my shins a bit as they felt achey and tight.  Not sore and nothing like shin splints, just achey.  Rubbing them helps that.

Saturday, January 7th:

Short run this morning. Since I was experiencing tired legs I wanted to give them a bit of a break and take it easy.  I might have been able to push through to three however there was more of a breeze than I expected and I didn’t wear a hat.   Ugh.  So my head was cold and my ears were burning.  I was pretty happy with the 2.5 though!

Summary:

I could be all frustrated and bummed out because I didn’t make “6 days” of running this week.  But I’m not going to do that because I learned a lot this week and I’m happy with the results.

I did run 5 days this week which is more than I’ve been doing and more running than I’ve done in a very long time.

I learned that my legs might not be ready for 6 days of running a week and they’ll let me know when they need a break.  I need to honor that and accept it.

On days where my legs are tired or need a break, I need to do something else instead.  Unless it’s my one rest day during the week.

And in the event the weather is not cooperating, I’ll do something else instead.

Here’s to week 2!

How are your goals for 2012 going?

2 thoughts on “Run January: Week 1

  1. Nicole says:

    Looks like we have a couple nice days to start this week off! Let’s just hope they’re not windy. :)

    I haven’t been to the gym at all since I got back from Atlanta in mid December. Lazyiness + busyness haven’t helped. I need to start going again at lunch while I still have the short commute to the gym. Once I move it won’t be so easy!

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