Track Star

Lest you think it has been all eating and no running around here, I logged a 7-mile run this morning. This is the longest run I've done in training so far and it felt awesome!

Run Stats:

• Total Mileage: 7mi
• Total Time: 1:01
• Average Pace: 8:45min/mi (whoohoo!! I think this is pretty great for a longer run!)

I was actually scheduled for an 8-mile run today, but since I missed last weekend's 7-miler due to my SI sprain, I didn't want to jump from 6 miles to 8 miles and risk another injury. Depending on how this week goes, I might do 9 miles next weekend. We'll see!

I am staying with my parents right now while Brian is out of town (again!) so I ran from their house to the local high school (~1.5mi) and then ran the track for 4 miles before heading back home. I haven't done any training on the track in a long time, but I compiled a list of pros and cons as I ran.

Pros

• Easier on the joints! The high school has an all-weather track and it felt nice on my knees and ankles. So springy!
• I could zone out and not worry about how far I had run and how much farther I still had to go. I knew I had to complete 4 miles, so I just set my Nike+ and ran until it told me to stop. Nice.
• I didn't have to carry my water with me. I've been wearing a hydration belt because the half-mary is an "eco" race and they are requiring that we carry our own water bottles. I don't mind the belt, but I definitely prefer not to wear it. At the track, I just set it down alongside the track and came back to it whenever I needed it. 

Cons

• Boring! Although it was nice to just zone out and run, it was also hard to ignore the fact I was just going around and around and around... Blah.
• No shade! I ran pretty early, but it was still getting pretty sunny by the time I hit the pavement to get back home. I forgot to put on any sunscreen (because I usually run on a pretty shady trail) and I definitely had a little sunburn on my shoulders when I get home.

In general though, it was a welcome change and allowed me to push my pace a little bit. I was happy!

I came home, did a little Yoga for Runners, and enjoyed this delicious breakfast:

Overnight Oatmeal Pancake topped with peanut butter and fresh berries, a Green Monster, some leftover coffee from earlier, and tons of H20, of course! In this GM:

• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 banana
• handful of frozen peach slices
• 1/2 cup fruit juice (my parents had some V-8 Fusion, so I tossed that in)
• 1T chia seeds

The rest of my day liked a little bit like this (don't worry, I remembered sunscreen!):

For dinner, we had delicious grilled veggies, grilled ham and cheese panini with fresh basil and dijon vinaigrette, and fresh pineapple. Yum!

I am simply quivering in anticipation of tomorrow's World Cup Final match-up between Spain and Holland! Who are you rooting for? (I'll still pretend to like you if you say Holland!)

Here are some more questions for ya!

1. Where do you prefer to run? Track, trail, through the neighborhood?
2. Do you ever get bored with your route? What do you do to mix things up?