Image by Nancy D. Regan via Flickr

I’ve been running for a week now and I feel pretty good. 

I’ll get this out of the way right now:  I am NOT walking during my runs.  Have I mentioned how impatient I get when I’m walking??  I decided that I’d rather slow w.a.y. down than start walking.  So there you go.  I’m not following instructions about running.  So far, I’ve been just fine afterward.  I’m icing my knee down and I don’t feel any extra pain from running more.

I’ve been doing my leg exercises except the leg press because I haven’t been going to the gym.  😦  I know I said I was going to go with my husband, but he’s been gone.  (On the day that he was here and went, I couldn’t find the list of exercised to do at the gym.)  The leg exercises are going okay.  I still struggle with the one leg squat.  It’s pretty painful after about 3 or 4 squats.  I’m not even squatting very low – ’cause THAT hurts.  Maybe I should just quit doing squats.  I hate them anyway 😉

So about the running…  I have been doing a route that has some significant down hill as well as uphill stretches.  Downhill kind of hurts but nothing like before I had surgery.  Uphill….  well, uphill is hell.  Going uphill just takes my breath away ( and not in a swooning, good kind of way!)  I really struggle going uphill.  Yesterday, I trued to really focus on going faster and just digging in til I got to the top.  Did it help, I don’t know. 

I have managed to run a teeny bit faster on each run.  I ran 13 minute miles on my first run/walk, then closer to 12:45 and the last two 3-mile runs were both just under 12-1/2 minute miles.  I was EXHAUSTED on Friday but I felt good.  I got out and ran in the dark, too.  I had my handy headlamp on but the bulb blew out.  (There is some irony in that…)  Here’s my headlamp:  http://www.princetontec.com/?q=fuel. It’s great when the light shines brightly.

Since diet HAS to be part of training, I’ve started a No Junk Food Challenge today that lasts for 21 days.  It will help me with the things that I’ve had the hardest time cutting down on:  sweets and bread.  I originally saw the challenge on a Pinterest board and posted it on FAcebook.  Several people have also signed on to doing the challenge, so it should be kind of fun.  I went out with a bang last night, though:  Hamburger and fries at Twisted Root Burgers followed by brownie and vanilla ice cream from Whole Foods.  Yum – even if the ice cream did make my stomach hurt.

Have you wondered WHEN I plan to run a marathon?  I have.  I’ll figure it out and let everyone know soon. 

I’m starting to feel like I can do this again!  That is a good thing.