HALF-MARATHON TRAINING: WEEK TWO

My old high school drill team has recently founded an un-official alumni association. It started with pictures of the good old days. Ahhh, the memories. Sweet memories. Then, the videos began being posted... The memories. Due to the greatness of YouTube, I was able to view a few videos that had me reflecting to a different time... A more flexible time. It had me reaching for a pint of The Häagen-Dazs®, metaphorically speaking.

During this, my second week of training, these videos reminded me of the importance of stretching. The things I saw in those videos were only possible because of the stretching we did on a daily basis. Each day we would spend a good fifteen minutes stretching. My body needs that stretching. That fact is PAINFULLY obvious. I can feel the tight muscles throughout my body. Ok, dear body. I get it! Maybe I should start up with the good ole Geepette stretches. Not only will it make running less painful (Dear God, let that be true. Amen), I might be able to do a jump split again after this training plan is over!

For the most part, this week was a fun week. Yeah, I said it... FUN! I was lucky enough to share a lot of my workouts with loved ones. Sunday was suppose to be my rest day, but I decided to go for a bike ride. The Hubster joined. It was definitely a workout trying to maneuver the hills in our neighborhood, but it felt great afterwards. Monday was stretch and strengthen. Yeah, I skipped that. Instead, the family (minus Little Momma) went on a walk. We walked almost two miles. That included Captain Awesome asking me to run with him on my shoulders. He is too adorable to say no to, so I did. Ummm... Ouch! It was totally worth it because I was with my family. Tuesday was a solo run in the dire Texas heat. Never underestimate the importance of water.

I turned my two miles scheduled for Wednesday into interval training. I did Fartlek exercises on the track across the street from our subdivision. Diva joined in on the fun. Yes, it was a humbling experience to see my daughter bursts past her old momma. But whatever, she's younger than me and I can ground her if she shows me up too badly! The next day I ran over three miles with a friend during the middle of the day. It was great catching up with her, but horrible doing so in the midday heat. Next time we'll catch up over margaritas or something! I think I'm going to stick to evening runs. Maybe even early morning runs. This midday crap is for the birds.

RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: So, what profoud thoughts did i have during my long run this week? Diapers. Yep, I said it. Diapers. It never fails. Anytime I get out on the road for a run, I have to go to the restroom. Why is this? What is the subconscious reason for this? Before I knew it, I was thinking about that astronaut that wore a diaper to drive cross country to kill her "romantic rival". It was a practical, yet disgusting, idea. Should this be something I consider? Sure, the quick three mile run isn't so bad; however, you tack on another ten miles... Then what? Yes, I "handle my business" before I head out the door, but something is still triggered. How can I go the distance, no pun intended, without... You know. Is this too much information, especially for week two? This isn't called The RAMBLINGS of an Ordinary Woman for nothing!

PLANNED MILES: 12
ACTUAL MILES: 13.11 (plus 1.83 walk and 6.41 bike ride)
CALORIES BURNED: 2,007
ACCOMPLISMENT: Shaved five minutes off of my long run from last week!

And now, a video for your enjoyment. I'm the one on the far right.