So my “7 day challenge” continues.  I have to say, as much as you might think that day after day of running would lead to burn out, it seems to be easier to stay motivated without the lapses in between.  Maybe this would not stay true overtime but this does reinforce past feelings that it is always hardest to get up off the couch when you have taken a break.  Running almost becomes more intimidating when you stop doing it.

It has also been nice to take the pressure off for some of these runs.  Tempo runs and speed work quite frankly have the propensity to stress me out.  I have performance anxiety and often dread making the attempt.  I always feel better afterwards and certainly understand the benefits, but it’s sometimes nice to run just for the love of running.

Day 4 – Thursday: 4 miles

I finally managed to meet up with my running group for the first time in weeks.  I seem to always have something work-related or otherwise pop up on Thursday nights so it was nice to be able to meet up with the group again.  I wanted to take this run at a pace that was manageable but not easy.  After the first two miles, I started to have some discomfort in the tissue around my ankles/lower legs so I took the last two miles at an easy pace.  It became clear that I needed at least relative rest after this run.  It is not uncommon for me to run 3 days in a row so I am surprised to have discomfort but oh well, you always need to listen to your body!

Day 5 – Friday: 2 miles

My only goal for today was to run.  I planned for a mile and didn’t care about the pace.  As usual, I played it by ear and felt good going into the run.  Once I got started, I felt increasingly good as the run went and as I approached 1 mile, I didn’t want to stop.  While I didn’t want to go too far (and injure myself in the process), 2 miles seemed reasonable.  It was actually a great run – very relaxing and the amazing bonus of a good wildlife sighting:

There were 5 or 6 beautiful deer just off the running path.  It was definitely worth stopping to snap a quick photo.  I have been having many challenges with iPhone storage (just too many pictures!) so I had to quickly delete some junk to even grab this shot.  I ended up lapping this section of the path a second time and found two of the deer actually standing on and just next to the path.  As I ran by, I was about 4 feet away from them!  It was almost a little bit scary (as wildlife is always unpredictable) but amazing that they stayed fairly relaxed as I ran by.  I guess I was just another creature running through the woods in that moment.

My legs felt pretty fine when I finished and I rounded out the night with a “Yoga for Stress Release” DVD.  What a great way to end the work week!

Days 6 and 7?

I am geared up for the last two days of this challenge.  Since tomorrow’s forecast is rainy, it’s perfect that I have speed work planned so I will move it to the treadmill.  Sunday is long run day (I know – speed work and long run on consecutive days is just stupid but sometimes the week just doesn’t work out the way you want it to).

I am excited to finish out my 2012 year of running with a bang!

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How was your year of running?  How are you wrapping it up?