Author: Jilligan
•4:43 AM
Long slow running results in long slow running, right? Right. I am trying to add a little speed work to my plan. Wow, this morning it really kicked my tail. I don't know what it was but the combination of the heaters, the speed, and my fear may have contributed. I felt like I was back in high school being tortured by Coach Albertson. I LOVED IT. I moved from activity to activity knowing I was on the verge of losing my cookies, literally. It's been a long time since I have run 200 meter repeats, maybe since my freshman year of high school. I am already feeling it in my legs.

Now for those of you that may pay attention to the times of my posting. Yes, I am working out at strange hours. I am reading some information about insomnia and different ways you can utilize the time you would normally spend laying in bed tossing and turning. I will keep you updated on my progress. Supposedly it will make the actual time you spend in bed asleep a better quality of sleep. I am going to try to stick with the plan 3 weeks and see how it goes.

Have a great day. See you out there.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Author: Jilligan
•4:25 AM
The mountains are calling my name.  Everywhere I look I see pictures of runners in snow, runners on trails, runners in the mountains.  My instagram is full of beautiful running pictures.  My own scenery is dull, brown, and flat.  I need some mountains.  I need some green.  I need something beautiful in nature to see.  But I also need somewhere safe to be alone.  I need to be outside.  I love having my treadmill but I was looking around the garage/gym this morning and it was dull, flat, and boring.  My quest this week will be to find a safe alternative and incorporate a little more outdoors into my workout. 

Yesterday the kids were talking about how you could see through some peoples fences while others were solid.  It reminded me of my morning runs from years back.  I explained to the kids that the group had run enough mornings that we could almost tell our pace and time left by the sounds, sights, and smells of the morning.  If a certain man had already picked up his newspaper, we needed to pick up the pace.  If we were ahead of the trash trucks, we were clipping along.  We knew about people and they didn't even know we were paying attention to them.  We could smell coffee and laundry.  We could smell the doughnuts.  As creepy as it sounds, we could even see one man wake up, stretch, and then get out of bed.  If we passed by his house and the covers were already thrown back and the man gone from his room, we were really late.  I always thought we should have stopped to tell him he should change his curtains or his lamp.  Some mornings were lucky enough to come across another runner and her dog.  The runner had night blindness but still loved to run 5 or more miles everyday.  We would call out to her when we would see her so she would know it was us.  Her dog had always seen us long before we had seen them.  It was another wonderful sight on those rare days. 

I am alone now in my running.  I like the solitude but I would love to be able to say to someone, "Did you see that?"  I hope my friends are still on the road.  I will be back on the road soon.  Something is calling to me and it is telling me to step off the treadmill and look around.