Back in the saddle...

After the holiday week in which I only ran on Thanksgiving morning and the afternoon following that (I only got in 12 miles over the week) and taking all of last week off (worked out of town two days and was buried in the office the rest of the week), I finally got back to work this morning. This was monumental for me on two counts... First, I usually like to ease into the morning and secondly, I expected any workout after a week off to be utterly disappointing from both a progress as well as pain standpoint.

I usually get up early in the morning (5-ish) and like to start the day with NPR and some strong coffee. Getting to the office by 6 and settling in HAS BEEN my routine. It does not usually include movements other than bowel, so working out in the morning was a little bit of a shock to the system. I made sure that I was wearing my sweat pants to keep body temperatures up and started out with a quick quarter mile just to get the blood pumping. Then, about 40 minutes of PT (calesthenics (?) and stretching - 120 crunches variations, 6o push ups, 100 jumping jacks, etc.) and finishing up with an easy 3 mile jog. After all of that, I can say that I felt okay. Also, my time on the road was pretty good, even though it felt like I was really taking it easy. I got the run in under 9 minutes per mile; not very far, but good time nonetheless.

You will note that easing into the morning HAS BEEN my routine. I realize that this is only the first day, but I think this will work out pretty well for me. By not being afraid to try something new; kind of like meeting new people and being open minded, I found that a change in my routine was not as bad as I thought it would be. Anyway, tomorrow is 5 miles and a 1.5 mile swim. Wednesday is PT and lifting (circuit training to shock the system), Thursday is PT and 4 miles, Friday is 10 miles and Saturday is lifting, PT and swimming. Sunday I sleep. New things aren't always good, but I won't know until I try them. Excelsior!!!!!