Running in Lisbon (and My Last Several Runs)

I know, I know, it’s been a while since my last post.  What I wanted to write last week was “Bless me, athletes. It’s been five days since my last run.”  And it’s true, I took five days off from running, starting Memorial Day weekend.

That Saturday and Sunday weren’t spent sitting on the couch though – I spent a long time out in the garden putting in a new flowerbed, which involved a lot of lifting of topsoil, and cutting out and lifting sections of grass.  I was so, so sore.

And it was hot and humid…not just regularly hot and humid either, but air quality warning hot and humid.  I’m sure that’s not too bad for most people, but the warning specifically said for those with lung problems, you shouldn’t exercise outdoors.  Since I didn’t have an indoor option, and I was feeling faint just walking around in the heat, I put off running until Thursday, when the humidity disappeared.

Week Five, Day Two – Complete!

Although running when it’s cloudy and a bit on the cool side is ideal, it’s not ideal for motivation.  And you know I’ve been struggling with that lately! So when I woke up this morning to a grey day, I wasn’t feeling so motivated.  But I put on my running clothes anyway, and finally forced myself to head out around 12:15.

Wouldn’t you know it, once I was out there, the sun came out? It ended up being a beautiful day here – and it was a good thing I wore sunglasses!

The run itself was going to be eight minutes running, followed by five walking, then another eight running – all in preparation for Friday’s 20 minutes of running.

The first couple of minutes of running were brutal, just horrible.  My legs felt so dead and tired and I really didn’t think I would make it five minutes, let alone eight.  I reminded myself that when I was running two years ago, usually the first mile was the worst, and then I’d settle into it.  Eight minutes wouldn’t get me a mile (I’m running pretty slow, even for me), but I told myself to just keep at it.