Miles 176.6 to 190.2 - "The Dog Days are OVER"

It was time! I had to jump back on the wagon before Santa arrived with his sleigh full of sugar cookies, puppy chow, brownies, and of course sugar plums. I will say that maybe I should have not "jumped" back on the wagon but instead slowly skipped. In the last two weeks I have only been able to put another 13 miles under my belt or should I say under my shoes. I was so excited about getting back into my routine after five weeks of being a walking, coughing, tissue holding germ carrier. I behaved like a little kid on Christmas morning driving right into tearing through the pretty packages without even admiring the ribbons. My excitement and enthusiasm lead me to running three miles that first day and adding fourteen flights of stairs. What can I say the high had taken over and I felt like Rocky climbing the ultimate staircase of success. After my workout I was still riding on the high and finished out my day with a little Christmas shopping walking around the mall. I am sure by now everyone can assume what happened next. When I woke the next morning my legs were on fire! With every step and every bend I could feel my muscles stretch as if I were sling shooting a rubber band. I did my best to stretch but with every movement I was sure I was going to lose the use of my legs.
So much for getting back on the wagon for my "routine." It took my four days of rest and one day of walking before I could attempt a jog. Lesson dually noted!

Today was my second attempt at hitting the treadmill in a full on jog/run to figure out if I was back to my old self. I am happy to report it was successful. The moment I knew I was back is when I heard the beats of the first song and proceeded to run the entire 3.44 minutes before realizing that I wasn't concentrating on the physical act of running. I wasn't having to talk myself into one more minute or one more mile. The sounds, the thoughts and my feet were once again working in harmony!

 

"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive"

~Lyrics from "Dog Days are Over" Florence + The Machine