Saturday, June 12, 2010

Two Weeks to Seattle!

I had missed the last three team trainings. I was at the beach for the first two I missed, and injured for last week. So even though I am the only one left on Summer Team still training for my event, the others having done the San Diego Half Marathon last Sunday, it felt great to be out training today. This is especially true since 13 days ago, I could barely walk at an extremely slow pace.
My schedule called for 11 miles today, but coming off two weeks of total inactivity and this last week of just starting to run again, my coaches and I agreed that six miles was enough. I also walked a lap around the lake before and after training, and so got in seven miles on my feet. And that did feel like enough. The good news is that I switched back to the three minute run and 1.5 minute walk intervals I was doing so successfully before my injury. A couple of times, I walked for the first minute into a run interval to recover my breath a bit, but most of the time, I stuck to the intervals. Lelia ran and walked with me. I really appreciate her coming out with her event now past. I loved hearing her stories from the San Diego trip. It was great to see her again.
I got a little tired at times, and it was fairly hot. But at no time did I have any pain in my calf. So I think it is on the mend. It is going to be tough to do 13.1 miles in two weeks after my extended break, but I know I can do it at some speed.
Here are some pictures from today.
As I am the only one officially still training on the Summer Team, we are combining the Fall and Summer Teams for joint training. Here Coach Chuck is preparing to lead a cheer.
A few of us pose for a photo along the way. Tina (middle) was on the spring team, and is now a Fall Team Mentor.
Beautiful blue hydraingas along the route.
Afterwards, Lelia and I get a momento snap shot taken. It is our last time training together this season, after week after week of sticking together each Saturday as runalkers.

3 comments:

Leslie said...

Great to see you out there today, Art, looking like you're on the mend. Keep up the slow progress and you'll be fine in Seattle...speed isn't the important part!!!

TNTcoach Ken said...

Two weeks to the finish line! It was strange for us also, I had no Seattle people........

o2bhiking said...

Thanks Leslie - it was great to see you today as well. I'll be back with your team in a week, maybe we can chat. You are right, it is the experience, not the pace that will count in Seattle.

Thanks Ken. I ran into people from your team last year in Nashville, but I guess that won't happen in Seattle. There are only 2 of us going from Richmond and 5 from all of Virginia! Art