Where did Mo’s Energy Come From?

Mo has grabbed me by the tail and is pulling me along at great speed! I am, for lack of a better word, Gobsmacked!

This weekend I continues my training for the Calgary Half Marathon. I walked 3km on Saturday and 7km on Sunday. The past weeks tempo walk had me reaching a 10min/km pace. I was so incredible excited because that is 4min faster than i was at the beginning of training last year! Saturday rolls around and I am suppose to have a steady walk for 3km…. I clocked in at 8.66min/km. I was elated! I ate well had a great sleep and then Sunday rolls around.

I spent the morning doing school work, University Classes come first for me. Then I made cookies for lunches, nice treat for the offspring who have just come off of exam week. Then I headed for the gym. As nice as the weather is, the sidewalks are too slippery for me to want to take any chances with my knee. My MCL injury is taking it’s sweet time to heal, and I don’t want to aggravate it. I am so thankful the YMCA has a track. I find treadmill work mind numbing.  Hill train will have to be done on the tread mill, but until then…round and round the track I go!

9 laps = 1km

I have been keeping a close eye on the clock. Keep in mind I am WALKING. I am not the fastest walker ever, nor am I the thinnest. I am moving at a pretty good clip for me. Last year my fastest time for a 5k was 1 hour. Today I did a 5k in 45min. I just about fell over. This was my LSD (Long slow Distance) I was not huffing and puffing, I was lapping people and I felt great! I did 7km in 68 minutes. I had to stop because of a clusterf**k on the track. 6 guys were strolling and hogging the lanes. Very annoying, I passed them three times, then they were too tired to continue.

The great thing about  training this time around is the feeling afterward. If this is a runners high or close to it…I am IN! Last year after every work out session I felt like death. Putting in an entire year of hard work and crosstraining has paid off for me. I was super pumped after the gym and was raring to go. I had a surplus of energy and felt so productive today. It got me thinking about setting some medium term size goals for myself.

I want to enter a road race for 10k. That would be fairly easy for me. I have chosen a race that is a nice course, close to my final goal ( Calgary Half) and has cool swag…because if you read the Edmonton Tourist you know I am ALL ABOUT SWAG! This race isn’t a stupid T-Shirt…it is Cool Sunglasses! I am IN! The course is through Edmonton’s River Valley, quite frankly it is beautiful even when there isn’t any foliage. There is a killer hill involved but I will be doing hill training before then. I’ve got this.

I love this feeling and I never want it to go away. I am so thankful I kept up all that hard work. I think that means this year will go by easier for me. Thanks Mo!