Running log

I had a tough time this week finding willing family to watch the kids. I only got to run outside Sun, Mon and Sat. The rest of the week I spent at the gym doing the elliptical, treadmill sprints and weights.

I don't mind the elliptical, it is kind of boring but as far as the cardio machines go I can do that one the longest. I usually do a couple of 1 mile treadmill sprints throughout the week after the elliptical or after a weight session.

Weights, though, I hate them. I am just not really motivated about lifting. It is so unbelievably boring but sadly very necessary for me. I lift to prevent injury from running. And it works. I do leg weights once every week or 2 and I have had zero problems from my running in regards to my knees, hips, ankles, feet and back. Admittedly, I do have a bit of an ankle problem but that is because I fell down the steps and twisted it. Weightlifting can't save me from my clumsiness.

I also lift to balance my top half with my bottom half.This is where most of my weight work goes: upper body. Some runners are lucky and have the type of physique where their upper body is small and lean, and that looks perfectly balanced with their small and lean bottoms halves. Not so for me. I think maybe because I use to be a swimmer but for whatever reason I am bulkier up top, naturally flabbier. I will never have that lean, lithe look that I notice and envy on other women runners, at least not without viscously working my upperbody. So I lift weights in hopes to have consistent overall tonality. Even still, my lower half could totally kick my top half's ass, I mean, you know, if it had an ass.

So anyway, the point here is that I generally don't include my gym work into my weekly mileage count unless I do a longish run on the mill. But this week I am going to count my treadmill sprints into my weekly mileage count since I did 8 1 mile sprints (usually I just do 2 or 3 in any given week) and, most importantly, if I count them it will get me to my goal mileage.

So. . .
Weekly mileage: 30 miles--just barely. My goal, until I start marathon training, is to keep weekly mileage between 30-40 miles. I am finding this is not as easy to do as when the kids were in school.

Items found: one pink rubber bracelet in the Livestrong fashion that says "Never forget Katie Mae Gatis" that Carmella has taken to wearing.