(W)holy humidity

Woke up at 6 for a 40 min. run. It was quickly evident that we have been incredibly lucky this summer to have decent weather on our morning runs. Today's humidity caught us both off-guard. We still kept at about an 11:30 pace, but the first 20 minutes seemed especially long and killer. Our first mile was the slowest by about 20 seconds. Next two were about even. Had we finished a fourth, I think it may have been our fastest -- which may have been that we were looking forward to get back to our cars, even though we were running by time and not distance!

And, at the end of it all, there is something especially rewarding about pushing through on the not-so-great days. Of course, it helped that my legs still felt good.

Hoping to get in a Tae-bo workout tonight. I'm feeling particularly energized -- likely because of all the caffeine I've consumed to try to relieve my pressure headache (storm already, please!!). But Tae-bo doesn't sound quite as great if the headache is still here... Hoping the Excedrin and Diet Dr Pepper kick in soon!

Still running. T and I are meeting again regularly after a month or so of going it alone -- I was out of town every weekend and her work schedule was packed, which made getting together a challenge. So I relearned how to run alone. It felt almost like starting over -- reconquering mental blocks, finding the desire to push speed and/or distance when alone.

While I'm enjoying being back on the trail with T, I think the month alone was really beneficial. I remembered that I can do this on my own, something I've been doubting for awhile.

In celebratory news, I'm FINALLY back to my pre-first half marathon weight. I don't think it is any surprise that running also feels better now. Even though it is summer, I'm moving faster and with more fluidity. Things are clicking again, and I'm truly enjoying my time on the road.

I think we are both excited about training for the next big race -- which will likely be the Bass Pro Half Marathon on Nov. 1. I'm really hoping for a new PR. If things continue as they are now, shouldn't be too hard to accomplish (aside from, you know, sticking to the training program, eating well, getting sleep, etc.!).

Here's to base-building before official training begins. Planning a 3-miler for the morning. Likely a 4-miler on Saturday.