Yes, I'm avoiding you.

Last week was...rough. Rough in that I could barely get up enough energy to get out of bed, let alone run. I ate a lot. I slept a lot (through lunch hours at work!). I drank a little more wine than necessary. It was cold and snowy, and I had Monday off. Exercise was not on the agenda.

Because it was cold, the only time I managed to get a run in were the two days I dragged myself to the gym after work. But luckily, on those days, I was DETERMINED. On Wednesday, I ran a tough 5 miles on the treadmill, and then on Sunday...get ready for it...I ran 8 miles on the treadmill! Woo! New record! And over half way to the 13.1! I feel like I have to grudgingly admit that it wasn't actually a straight 8 miles since I'd been drinking water all morning (I'd planned to do Bikram but decided on a run instead)--I ran 2 miles, had to run to the bathroom, and then did another 6. I felt GREAT! This was really the first time I've experienced the "runner's high" I've heard so much about, and I felt like I could've kept going and going and going. I actually stopped so that I could make it to Bikram in time (my adrenaline tricked me into thinking I could really do both!).

Alas, the train didn't come in time and I didn't make the yoga class, but it was probably a good thing, considering that by the time I got home, my knees and hips were so stiff I could barely hobble up the stairs to my apartment. Seriously, I'm still kind of limping. I was planning on running yesterday after work, but my hip was still in enough pain to make that goal unrealistic. The hip's a little better today, though, so I'm determined to get some running in--I'll just have to take it a little easier for a couple of days. Still, it's amazing to know I can finally do 8 (or 10, or 12...), even if it means feeling like a cripple afterward.

This week, I'm going to focus on doing shorter runs and Fartlek, but running more often than just 2 days.

Week 7 totals (almost as bad as last week): 13 miles, 5 rest days