Taking the Reigns

WOW! I experienced a first last night. I was totally in charge of a run that has had my number all along, and it feels good.

In the past, I've gotten through the lactate threshold runs on the Pfitz plan, but it was a mental struggle to the end, with my body not feeling much better. It turns out there really has been a change from making my easy miles easier, and adding more easy miles to the schedule in places where I previously took rest days. Last night, I was able to knock out the four tempo miles without struggle. They were challenging miles and I felt them through my entire body, but I felt strong and never backed off, even quickening the pace in the last mile. I was even able to lengthen the run an additional mile beyond what was planned. It seems that my body IS able to handle more mileage than I used to think....it's just a matter of HOW I run those miles, and for what purpose.

In other goings on....it's crock pot season. I found a nice recipe for a slow cooked turkey chili, so I'm going to try it out on the children and husband tonight. In our concerted effort to cut out any crap from our diet, we've figured out that everyone seems to like the musical fruit, and chili just seems to go well with the frigid weather as of late. It's a nice comfort food without the stuff in those heavy, creamy winter soups I used to down all the time in the winter (and, SHHHHH......I slap some fat free sour cream and a bit of cheese in there to satisfy that craving ;) ). We'll see if it's any good, and worthy of becoming a regular addition to the dinner menu. The kids go back to school and regular activities in less than a week so it's time to strengthen my relationship with Mister Crock Pot-he makes me less crazy than I would be without his help.