Making it up

So I haven't run since Tuesday.  It's Monday now.  That's a long time.  That's unheard of for runners who aren't injured, right?  Not running for a week certainly does nothing for a person's endurance, that's for sure.  Running isn't something that can effectively be done occasionally.  I've read that 3 days without running causes the person to lose what endurance they gained on the last run.  Bummer.

So to make up for it all, I did 7+ miles today.  I know, that's crazy.  It's not like I can really make it up.  And I'll no doubt injure myself doing the weekend warrior thing.  But, in my defense, I had a rare night off.  Ken took the kids to a Magic Mountain event, a fund raiser for the school.  So I took an hour and a half and walked and ran. 

I mixed it up and didn't run much more than a mile at a time without walking a little. And I didn't stick to any formula.  I just walked when I felt I needed to do so.  And I started the run with a 5 minute walk.  I've been feeling overwhelmed at work and have noticed that I'm not breathing deeply and am not taking very good care of myself.  So I took the initial 5 minutes to breathe and expand my lungs and enjoy the great weather.

My miles were 13:17, 12:33, 15:03, 11:25, 11:23, 12:28, 12:13, plus another .38 miles in 7:30.  The Garmin clocked me as out there for 1:35.55 which is close.  I was off the clock for two stops at the library to get water and when I walked up the driveway of a house for sale and peaked at the back yard. 

Since I'm really in no shape to run 7 miles, my legs were pretty wobbly the last couple of miles and I could tell they were tired.  However, the walk breaks helped my "wind" so my heart rate wasn't a problem and my breathing, although labored, wasn't as taxed as it often is when I run.  I stopped a couple of times to stretch my calves which tightened up off and on.  No doubt they'll be sore tomorrow.

Although my run wasn't that great in terms of speed or consistency, it was good to be out there.  And it was really great to have the time when I didn't feel I needed to be somewhere else, doing something else.  Tonight, I just needed to run.