I went running today

This morning I went for a run with my personal trainer, Krissi. It's been so long since I've been out for a run. Last week at PT I told Krissi that I was ready to start running again and that all I needed to do was get out there. Well, she got me out there.

Now, when I go to PT I always wear my running bra and shoes 'just in case'. It's been so long since Krissi has taken me out running that I have stopped bringing my running jacket. I was about to head out in short sleeves (hey, it was 2 degrees, that's a heat wave in Canberra at this time of year) when Krissi magicked me up a long sleeved running top that actually fit me and a pair of gloves. I'm glad she did.

Last night at boot camp we did running drills, so I was already a little sore. Krissi's partner, Brad, is my boot camp instructor, and when he heard that Krissi was taking me out for a run he cautioned that I might be sore. "Sore?" Krissi tells me she scoffed. "Kathy's never sore." Silly me, I realised. In my weekly chats with Krissi while she tortures me for an hour with chest presses and planks and other assorted exercises, I've let it slip that I don't feel sore for long after exercise. Mind you, when she suggested a run she checked how I was feeling and if I thought I'd be up for it. To my horror, "Sure I will" came out of my mouth instead of the more sensible "I'm playing two hockey games tomorrow and my knee is a little sore, maybe I should file my nails or something" that should have come out. I think I have to get my brain to mouth interface checked out. It's clearly not working properly.

In fact, I was delighted to go for a run with Krissi. It was exactly the motivation I needed. I knew Krissi would drag me out further than I wanted to run, and I knew that she wouldn't push me too fast. The "I've got to keep running because I'm with someone" pride factor would also kick into operation. Mind you, I had in mind a gentle little run with walk breaks, although there was no way that I'd admit that to Krissi. Out we went, along a familiar running trail. I knew exactly what to expect and I knew that I could make the distance. Mind you, that didn't stop my brain from wanting my legs to stop. The beauty of it is that I was able to ignore the impulse and keep going.

All up, we covered around 6.5 km. Krissi thinks I was running better than when we did a similar run several months ago. All I can put that down to is that I've been working hard at boot camp to improve my pace, the cycling had kept my cardio fitness up (although I haven't done much lately), and the hockey had kept me running (even if it was in short bursts followed by severe and lengthy panting sessions).

I was stiff and sore at work today, but I'm feeling pretty good now. Mind you, that's because I'm going to head to bed early! I'm exhausted.

Oh, and an added bonus of being out there running this morning - I felt virtuous all day. I love that feeling.

As for my blogging - I haven't blogged for a while because I felt like a bit of a fraud. All I've been doing is boot camp a couple of times a week, PT twice a week and hockey on the weekends I'm in Canberra. It's all pretty easy and well within my comfort zone. I haven't been cycling because of the fog (TB worries about me) and the cold (I worry about me). I haven't been running. In general I feel like I've been pretty slack.

So today was doubly good. I'm back out there running! Yay, I'm a runner again. And I'm back blogging about my running. Hi everyone. It's great to be here again.