Feeling strong

I am so excited! It's not much, but it means a lot to me...I've been able to run this week. I ran 1.5 Monday (with a .5 warmup and .5 cooldown) and 2 miles this morning (with quarter mile warmup and cooldown). I would have gone longer this morning, but I hit the snooze too many times this morning and finally convinced myself a run would be better for me than tossing and turning for a little longer. If I'd known I was going to call in so I could take R to the doctor, I probably would have. It felt great to be able to run since after my first 10K, I couldn't run at all the week after!

Observations from a third party

I forgot to mention this yesterday. While we were eating at Rosa's post-race, my parents offered some observations about my running that I found interesting. Now, most people would question observations about running from their parents, but not me...nope. My parents both run faster than me. They've got this training thing down a lot better than I do. I realize that they are in a different stage of life and have a little more time to devote to strength training and such, but they have valuable insights because they are still working and fitting in the workouts. I trust what they see. So, here's what they had to say:
1. I'm not "bouncing" as a I run as much as I used to. Mom said she had no pictures of me with a foot on the ground from previous races.
2. I'm not wasting side-to-side energy as much either. Dad said he used to watch for my ponytail swinging from side to side to recognize me coming.
3. I am still having an issue with my left leg. Dad's noticed this for a while now...I remember him asking about it after one of my first races (back before they were even running, I think). He said my left leg goes back, out and then foward, so it's making a loop. That could explain my ITB issues. But they haven't been bothering me for a while, so I'm wondering if it's some sort of compensation.

I would love to have a pro watch my form and give me some pointers, but I don't have a clue how I'd go about finding this pro. I can't afford a personal trainer, and even if I could, I'd want one that specialized in running. Hmm...something to think about.

And I didn't run with my iPod yesterday. It was pouring out before the race, and I wasn't sure how waterproof it would be. And I loved it! I seem to focus more without the music and am less distracted. It was great!

I got to think about a lot of things out on the course. I kept telling myself something I heard on The Biggest Loser this week..."Your feet will move if your mind tells them to." I loved this and used it many, many times yesterday. Of course, I also had to laugh when one of my favorite phrases took on a new meaning..."Just keep swimming, swimming." Some of the puddles were big enough to swim in, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah, baby!

The weather definitely didn't cooperate this weekend. We headed to Abilene yesterday afternoon for the Balloon Fest 10K today. I signed up for this one for a couple of reasons...1. it was a 10K, 2. it wasn't too far away, 3. they had a kids 1K, 4. they had hot air balloons. Well, we never got to see a balloon! It rained yesterday evening/night so we couldn't see the night glow, which I really wanted to see. However, the hotel had an indoor saltwater pool, so we did get to swim with the kids.

And it was definitely raining this morning! We headed over to Red Bud Park. Hubby was sweet enough to go get my packet so I wouldn't start off wet. Nana and Poppy took the kids to McDonalds while we got all this done. Then Hubby drove me as close as possible to get my chip. But then we had to go park...and then hike to the start line. We huddled under tents. The start was delayed a little, but the rain cleared off for a little bit...just enough for Hubby, Nana, Poppy and the kids to come cheer me off the start with signs and all!

I took two sports beans at the start line with about 2 minutes to go.

And we were off!

Luckily, it wasn't raining for most of the race. There were some huge puddles to maneuver, but it wasn't anything like the CASA 5K in the rain. In fact, I kept my feet relatively dry until about mile 3.

The greatest thing was having a cheering squad at several points in the race! The kids had signs and my mom and husband had the cameras. Dad took my visor at one point when it had stopped raining and had just gotten too hot...then Mom gave it back to me when the rain started up again.

I had two more sports beans at the 2.5 mile mark. I think I've finally figured out water stations, or at least the drinking out of the cup part. They did throw me by having a left-handed water station though.

I hit the 5K mark at about 33...a little slower than I wanted, but I just kept on trucking.

I hit 5 miles at about 52 minutes, I think. I was pumped! My last long run I hit 5 miles at 1 hour and that was after hoofing it to get the last mile in in 10 minutes.

I finished in 1:07:08, about 6 minutes less than my last (and first) 10K! And I felt good. A little shaky for a few minutes, but I was able to head over to the kids' 1K without any problem. They did so good too. SB wanted to walk some, but Ryan just kept on trucking! And it was really neat to see my parents with my kids!

Post-race, we headed to the hotel for a nice warm shower and a little fuel. Then we headed to Rosa's, which was cool because that's what we had after my last 10K. Something about warm tortillas and butter works for a recharging! I wore my compression sleeves on my calves on the way home. They sure felt tight, but they feel better now...now if I just had some compression sleeves for my quads.

Overall, it was a great experience! If it hadn't been for the weather taking away the balloon-watching, it would have been perfect. There was a race here in town, but it was a 15K...I probably would have done it if it hadn't been for the balloons...and since that didn't happen, I was a little disappointed. Still...it was fun and I felt great. That's all I could ask for!

Getting nervous

So when I walk in my classroom tomorrow, I'll walk up to the board and change my race countdown to "1 day until Mrs. J's next 10K." And then I'll have a panic attack. I don't know why I get so nervous about races...and continue to race. It's not like I'm really that competitive, as in I never place. I just want to be there. And do well. For me.

I am trying to remember a couple of things: 1. Trust the training. I've done what I can to prepare for this. 2. Face the fear. If all I'm afraid of is not doing well, then what do I have to lose if I go all out? That I might do well. That I might fail. Either way, it's not life-ending. Or even life-altering. I'll hit the treadmill next week just like I always do. 3. It's supposed to be fun. Besides, I'll be outside running! And my family will be there. :)

I wish I'd had enough time to figure out a couple of things about what I prefer and what I handle in the form of nutrition. I'm going to carry a water bottle and take my beans at each water station. I'll leave Gu to figure out later. I am going to have a mini Clif bar before I run, and maybe a banana if I can grab one. I'll drink my G2 post-run and have some fruit. I'm hoping that will work.

And I'm going to wear my iPod, but I'm not going to start with it on. I really think I get distracted by the music and quit listening to my body. I know that I can go on long runs without it and end up enjoying my run so much more (and I'm faster, to boot).

Our local Y is starting a running class. I wish it was at a time I could attend. Even though I've been running a while now, I'd love to see what they have to say about how to run. I wish they'd had something like this a year or so ago. I'm sure there's so much I should have learned early on.

I'm falling asleep as I type. I have had to get up at 4:40 to run this morning because of early morning duty at school. It's killing me. Just one more day though! But I'm still going to hit the sack.

When the moon hits your eye....

Like a big pizza pie, that's when the kids go CRAZY! I don't care who says what about the moon and its cycles, but a full moon coupled with a weather change has turned all the kids into little monsters...my own two included! They have been completely off their rockers this week with a huge meltdown tonight. And my kids at school haven't been much better. It's been like I'm speaking Swahili or Martian or wah-wah-wah of Charlie Brown's teacher. They haven't heard a word I've spoken or read a word I've written on the board. I'm hoping it's better tomorrow, but I'm guessing with possible thunderstorms tomorrow, we'll be doing it all over again.

3 days to go

I'm getting nervous about Saturday's 10K. My goal is to run the whole thing, but with a couple of crazy weeks, and a very long/hard 18-mile walk, I'm not so sure. I know I didn't hit my training plan these past two weeks like I'd hoped, so I'm just hoping it was enough. I wanted to have another long run under my belt before the race.

I am really excited though because my kids will be running their first race, a 1K. They are really excited too. My parents will be running with them. I can't wait to see that! How cool that there will be 3 generations of my family running Saturday!

I still need to decide on my race gear for the weekend. I guess I need to get my daughter a long sleeve top or jacket since I'm not sure the weather will be warm enough for her skort and tank. I think my son will be fine in anything he wears, so I'm not worried there. I'm leaning toward my capris and my standard tank...all my race pictures from this summer have me in that same top. I really should find a new one. Maybe I'll get a chance tomorrow.

Getting there

After Saturday's walk, I was very, very sore. As in, it hurt to move sore. I should have taken an ice bath, but I didn't. And I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated. But, I'm getting better. I went to bed with a heat pack on my back last night and it's a little looser today. I rolled every possible part of my body as well last night. I got some compression sleeves yeseterday and wore them for a few hours yesterday and taught in them most of today. And I have to say, I'm a believer. My calves are much better this evening. I'm going to use the foam roller again tonight.

My plan is to stay hydrated, get and stay loose, and get two easy runs in this week. That's it. That's not what I had planned originally for this week, but it's all about adjusting to what happens.

I still have no idea what I'm going to run in this weekend. I wanted to find a longer running skirt, but it looks like my capris may win out again. I'm hoping a 7:30 run is cool enough for that.

I didn't get to experiment as much as I wanted with Gu, sport beans, and other fuels. I think I'll stick with the beans for now. And I'm considering a couple of things: 1. running without an iPod and 2. running with a water bottle. And now, I've got my compression sleeves to consider. Wow...I just have not gotten this down yet.

I go walking...

My Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure team had a long training walk yesterday...a scheduled 18 miles that may have been closer to 20...still up for debate. I can't believe how hard it was! I thought my being able to run 6 miles at a time would make walking 18 not so bad. And I was wrong!

It uses a completely different set of muscles. My back is so sore. So are my calves. My quads were killing me yesterday after one rest stop. I really felt like I had cords in my legs. They aren't so bad this morning, but my calves are making up for it. It feels like I have tennis balls back there.

And blisters...wow. I felt them coming at about the 2-mile mark yesterday and covered them one set at the 3-mile mark. Then I covered another set at the half-way point while swtiching socks. I think they'll heal ok without lancing them, but I'm watching them closely.

My biggest fear is that I won't be able to run my 10K Saturday well. I'm going to take tomorrow off of running for sure. I'm hoping to do an easy run Tuesday and Thursday though. We'll see. I'm going to foam roll my legs and back, use Biofreeze and/or Icy Hot, take ibuprofen, and hopefully go get some compression sleeves for my calves.

I have no idea how I'll walk 20 miles three days in a row in November. I know that after this 10K, I'll work on more long walks. It's just that different than running.

It really was a lot of fun though. There were 6 members of the team there yesteray and it was funny watching us all walk around town, fanny packs on, hands in the air...silly stuff!

God is Good!

God has been so good to me this week...and not with the typical "things are going great" idea. This week has been trying. But God has been faithful. There were so many times I wanted to say something, held back, let go, and was rewarded, whether with a resolved situation, a phone call or message, or just plain peace. Wow. What a lesson to learn. And it's overflowed into all the areas of my life. Dealing with SB's meltdown this morning over a broken Silly Band was easier and calmer. I'm very happy right now. :)

"Hills"

After sleeping in yesterday, I knew I needed a run this morning. However, the kids both ended up in bed with me by 3:30 this morning. Hubby was sleeping on the couch (and no, he wasn't in trouble) because he's got a cold, so I didn't mind. At least it wasn't too crowded. However, it took me until 4:15 or so to get back to sleep...and that darn alarm clock went off at 4:50 as planned. I hit the off button...sat there...and finally climbed out of bed. I hit the treadmill for a "hill" workout...or at least an attempt.

I warmed up for a few minutes (which is really when I wake up, get a drink and get the iPod situated). Then I rotated 3 minutes on an incline with 2 minutes at 0% through a 2%, 4%, 6% and back to 4% before finishing up. I should have gone longer. But I did it.

My only problem right now is I'm having some pain in my shin/calves. Most of the pain is on the inside top of my shin, to the inside of the bone before the actual "calf" muscle starts. I'm a little worried about it because I can't identify the source. It even hurt when I kneeled down in my son's floor to pick up a jillion cars. It hurt at the beginning of the run but seemed to handle the "hills" ok, but then they hurt again at the end with the calf tightening up pretty quickly.

With my 10K a little over a week away, I'm getting nervous. I'm just not sure I've done enough. I never did get that core training habit down. And I know my abs need to be stronger. Seriously stronger.

I have decided to walk the 18 miles on Saturday and see how I feel. If I'm up for it, I'll run a long run Sunday morning and then run Tuesday/Thursday before the race. If I can't run Sunday, I'll run Monday/Tuesday/Thursday before the race. Can't believe it's this close!

Oops

I goofed. I didn't want to get up at 4:50 this morning for a speedwork workout on the treadmill. So I hit this nifty "nap" button on my alarm clock for a 40-minute nap. I don't know if I missed the button, alarm, or what, but I woke up at 6:15 with my husband's alarm. No speedwork. No run at all. And yes, I realize I should have found time later in the day to run...but I didn't. So I'm getting up to run in the morning. Now, the question is, do I do the speedwork tomorrow and my normal run on Friday with no day of rest in between? Or do I just run tomorrow and Friday? I have a long walk (18 miles) planned with my SGK 3-Day team for Saturday. So, I don't get my long run, but I'm thinking 18 miles makes up for it. Please? I hope. Or I'll run long on Sunday. Hmmm...decisions, decisions.

And I still have not managed to get a routine of core training down. Argh. I know the benefits of it far outweigh the difficulties in getting around to it. So why can't I get it down?

Two things I forgot

1. I tried Gu for the first time today. I had the Espresso My Love with the 2x caffeine. I didn't feel any effects of the Gu, to be honest, except that I was jittery when I finished the race. I didn't take it til 1.5 miles of the 5K, although I had already run 1.5 before the race. Maybe I should have taken it earlier? I don't know. I may try the uncaffeinated version during my long run next weekend to see...and maybe start off taking it. If it doesn't go well, I'll just stick with my 6 beans, even though I just about suffocate trying to chew those things!

2. I also found that I really prefer to run without the iPod. I do run with the iPod on the treadmill during the weeks, but I don't wear it for my long runs on Saturdays. I found it really distracting today. And I think that some of my songs had too slow of a beat which actually kept me from running as fast as I might have on my own. I pulled the earphones out with about a half mile to go...wish I would have sooner.

Besides, I really need to update my playlist. I just don't listen to music enough to know what to pick...and there are tons of playlists out there, but I get so overwhelmed trying to pick a few new songs to buy...goodness knows I can't afford to completely revamp those playlists.

Shortgrass Scamper

This morning was the Shortgrass Scamper in Archer City benefitting their Salvation Army and ultimately, their residents. Mom was one of the organizers, and it was definitely a family affair. Sister and Dad rode bikes to lead the race and bring up the rear. Brother took care of lots of odds ands ends...logo, goodie bags, sound system, walkies, etc. I, however, got to run.

Because I'm training for a 10K in two weeks, I needed more mileage than the 5K would provide...so I ran 1.5 miles before the race and another 1.5 after. Granted, the breaks in between probably weren't the same as running 6 in a row...but the heat made up for it. The race was at 9:30, and I'm definitely used to that 6:30 a.m. run on Saturdays.

I ran it in 32:30 or something close to it...definitely not what I wanted for today, but it will work. I did get 2nd in my age division (out of 4...LOL)...but it's my first medal!

Looking back

It dawned on me that I've never written about my personal journey into running, and I thought it might be good to have a record of this.

May '09 My family participates in our church's Run for the Son. We aren't even able to finish a 5K walking and cut off part of the course. Ok, maybe I should back up farther.

I ran cross country and track in high school. I was never a star athlete, but I enjoyed running...mainly because it wasn't a team sport and not everyone did it. I've always like doing something everyone else isn't. But...I didn't keep up with my running after high school (some 13 years ago!).

Alright, back to May '09...knowing I could run those distances before and at one time in my life had been in great shape made not being able to complete 3 miles for a charity event an embarrassment to me. Plus, I was turning the big 3-0 in just a few short months. And on top of that, I'd kept and gained some 30 pounds after baby #2 in '07. It was time for a change.

That next week, I started a walk/run routine 3 days a week at 5 in the morning (or maybe it was 5:30...see, I won't remember these things if I don't write them down...but then again, does it really matter?). I'd walk the short sides of the sidewalk around the park/school across from our house. It's about .75 miles all together. I'd jog the longer sides. I'd make only one lap each day that first week.

I slowly bumped it up to two laps, then three, then more running. I was really enjoying being outside (even if it was seriously dark).

July '09 I did something I probably shouldn't have. I ran two 5K races in two weeks time...and remember, I'd only started running in May. I ran a July 4 run with my sister. I had to walk some of it, but I finished. It was a small race for an area town church. Then I ran what I called 3 miles at 30 in the same small town, and unfortunately, the race was the same straight out and back course...and it was HOT! It was a tiny race...as in maybe a dozen people. Not great for pushing yourself, but my sister pushed me. I walked as little as possible. And I finished.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure these back-to-back races when I probably wasn't ready caused some ITB issues to flare up. Well, that and the fact that I did my running on a sidewalk. I was sidelined for a while, off and on throughout the fall.

October 09 I completed the Race for the Cure 5K, but I had to walk a lot of it too...and not happily. My whole family participated in that race...mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, sister, and brother-in-law. Very cool!

Fall 09 Due to ongoing hip/ITB issues and the fact that it is seriously dark when I needed to run, my running was limited. I had one morning where I passed a guy wearing a dark trench coat at 5 a.m...and was too freaked out to run again outside that early. Still am.

Winter 09 I inherited a treadmill...which promptly broke the day after I ran on it for the first time. But not too much later, and I was able to swap around and get another. And I ran on it a couple of times a week at dark thirty. It's not my favorite, but it's running.

March 09 The family runs a 5K in Ardmore (the A2A) for my Mom's 50th birthday...her 5K at 50! It was cold! I ran a good race...30:35!

April 17 The family was signed up to run the Casa 5K in town. However, it was POURING rain that day! My dear hubby, my daddy, and I ran the race while my mom, sister and kids hung out in the car. It was sopping wet on the course, and of course, I had on a hoodie...which absorbed water like a sponge. Still, I managed to finish is 32:03. I had wanted to beat my A2A time, but the rain prevented that.

May 31 Mom, Carrie and I completed a 10K at the America Heroes race in Arlington, right in front of the Ballpark, while Dad did a 5K. We stayed the night before and my kids and hubby were there to cheer us on. I finished in 1:12:59. It was a really HOT day and a wild course, starting and ending with an overpass. It was awesome to complete this new distance!

Summer 10 I didn't get back on track running as much as I wanted to over the summer, but I was able to run outside which is such a lift in my spirits. I actually didn't do any races over the summer. We did, however, ride a 10K in the HHH with the family...pulling the kids in trailers. It turned out to be a beautiful day and ride!

And that's how I got to where I am today. I have three races planned in the next month...crazy I know.

Getting stronger

I love that I actually feel stronger with each run. I couldn't run yesterday due to a sick kid, so I ran today...3 miles in 30:46. I mostly kept a 10 minute mile pace, but I had to take two quick walk breaks...so I made up for them by amping up the last mile. Every quarter mile, I upped the treadmill by .2 (so 6.2, 6.4, 6.6) to finish up. I was absolutely pouring sweat!

I couldn't seem to cool down though. I felt awfully faint and sat down in the shower for a bit (passing out would not be a good thing). Even after my shower, I was still sweating. However, once I got to school and finally cooled down, it's like my motor went into turbodrive in reverse...I was freezing! I don't know if that's a normal thing or not.

Another weird thing, I'm wondering if anyone else who runs experiences some sort of wrist pain/numbness. It seems to happen mainly when I run on the treadmill, although I've felt it after regular road runs as well. It goes away fairly quickly, but it almost feels like my wrists swell.

I also developed a blister...maybe my first. And it's in the weirdest spot. It's on the edge of my heel on the side. I felt the hotspot toward the end of my run. It's between the insole and upper of my shoe. I know, cotton socks aren't good. But I've just gotten used to them. Plus, I bought my shoes a half size larger to try and save my toenails. If I switch to synthetic socks, I'm afraid the fit will be off. Hmm...things to think about.

Slogans and such

On a different note, one of my t-shirt slogan ideas made it in to the Run Like a Mother The Book list :) Granted, it didn't win the $100 Asics gift certificate, but I'm still pretty happy! Check it out: www.runlikeamotherbook.com/2010/09/06/are-my-kids-still-chasing-me/

There were a lot of really great ideas...I'd love to have about half of them on a shirt myself! I can't wait for them to roll out these shirts, and I hope they'll keep adding to the list!

The best laid plans...

It's one of those days. I woke up at 6 to run, hoping for outdoors since I'm off today. However, it was too dark up until 7 and by that time, it was too late because DH had to work an MDA telethon today. So, I made some brown rice pudding, which was delicious and talked the kids into a run in the stroller. Hoewever, DS's stomach had other ideas as he is sick today...so instead of a much-needed run this morning, I got to clean strawberry milk puke off of a shelf of books, one-by-one. I thought about hitting the treadmill, but so far, every time I think I can get out there, he throws up again. That means I'll have to add a run tomorrow morning before hills on Wednesday. I should be able to do some strength training today and just swap today's and tomorrow's plans. I hate having to adjust and modify!

That hit the spot!

The rice pudding was yummy! Here's what I did (after looking at tons of recipes):

I made brown rice last night.

Then, this morning, I peeled and chopped some apples and cooked them in a couple tablespoons of butter with a dash of cinnamon and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

Once they were tender, I added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 cups of milk, a large box of raisins (as opposed to the mini boxes) and 2 cups of the cooked brown rice. I brought this to a boil, reduced it to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. I loved it! Ryan was sick this morning so he didn't even try it. Sarah Beth ate some of hers, but not as much as I'd hoped.

The only thing I'd do differently is add a little vanilla when I add the milk. I wish I'd thought of that sooner.

Estimated nutritional value- For 1/6 of the recipe: 190 calories, 5g of fat, 2g of fiber, 4g of protein.

Comfort food

I have never had rice pudding. However, a coworker had some this week at lunch, and it sounded good. So...I'm making it for breakfast in the morning. I've already made the rice, so I just have to add a few things after my run. I started looking for crockpot recipes, but got overwhelmed in the hunt. I figured an easy recipe was better for the first try. Of course, oatmeal...the real stuff...sounds good too. I wonder what that is saying about me. Rice, oatmeal...carbs in general. I've been snacking entirely too much here lately. I'm sure I need to ditch the sugar for a while. Anyway, we'll see how the rice pudding turns out in the morning...if I can wait that long :)

Walkin' on Sunshine

And doesn't it feel good?! Ok, so I was actually running, but getting to break out of the treadmill routine in the hot garage this morning felt fabulous. We had a late night last night, so I hit the road a little later than normal...as in the sun was actually all the way up. However, running outside during daylight has its pros and cons:

Cons:
1. Couldn't decide whether to wear the sunglasses or not (ok, not really a con...a good decision to have. I went sans glasses to soak up the vitamin D)
2. The dogs of the neighborhood are awake.
3. They can see me.
4. They don't like me.

Granted, these are pretty poor cons, especially since all the dogs do is bark. Still...it unnerves me!

Pros:
1. Sunlight!
2. Vitamin D
3. Fresh air
4. Distance...I just can't seem to go far enough of the treadmill.
5. Neighborhood and neighbors...Lots more people out and I could watch the houses go by a lot easier with light. Ok, I can see how the people thing and traffic could be a con, but it wasn't.
6. Pure happiness

I made 5 miles in under an hour (barely) and actually ran the last mile in 9:08! I pushed it hard on that last one to make it in under an hour, but it felt so good! At my slow pace, I could have made more miles too...which feels really good!

Intervals, ugh

I figured out a way to do my intervals without losing momentum...the treadmill. Yes, it's that dreaded contraption in the steamy garage, but it worked better than my own motivation on the road...at least for this particular day. I just set the treadmill to one of its preset workouts. Why I didn't think of that earlier, I have no idea. Just like I didn't think to use those workouts and the incline on regular workouts to simulate the road a little more. Duh. Well, you'd think, huh?

But, yesterday, I finally thought of it and set it to one in the "weight loss" category, mainly because I didn't have time to go through all of them to figure it all out at 5 a.m.

I set it to one with a max speed of 7.7 and max incline of 2.0. Wow. I normally do my easy runs at 5.5, maybe a 6 if I'm feeling tough. But I found the more I did the 7.7, the happier I was at 7.0. Crazy. In a good way. I may up tomorrow's speed on my regular run to see if I'm still comfortable there.

But, I realized after the fact, I was supposed to run hills this week. I don't know if that's possible on the treadmill, but I'm going to find out next week. I'm sure I'd be happier outdoors, but I just can't run in the dark that early, and it's still too hot after school.

Still, it was a good workout. I was pouring sweat...literally. And I had a second fan in there, albeit a small one. I'm looking at getting a big one to mount on the wall. Not that it would help. I did cut the workout a little short by about one interval. I guess I'm going to have to resort to getting up at 4:45. That was always my rule...no getting up when a 4 starts the time. But it's one of those rules I may have to break in order to get it all done.

Tomorrow is an easy run, 3 miles if I have enough time. I'm looking forward to my weekend long run outside, but even that may get shuffled around. My 3-Day team is walking 12 miles Saturday morning and I hate missing out on the team walk.