Getting There

So I think I can call this past weekend's race a success. I ran 11:05, so I did not quite get what I wanted. I really wanted to break 11 minutes for the 3, but I guess in good time. Hell I did take 22 seconds off of my time from two weeks ago, so I should be thrilled. I'll be happy when I hit that qualifier, and then I'll be thrilled if I happen to medal at PSACs this indoor season. That'd be flippin sweet, but my main focus is still outdoor.

Holy crap though! Andrea won the race! I had nooo idea until hours later that she even won. I thought she had gotten second with a 10:14, but no, apparently she kicked down the other girl with 30 meters to go. Jeesaloo that girl is full of surprises. The night before she ran a 5:04 in the DMR!

The entire DMR in fact did amazingly. Their time was 12:19 I think... Beth ran a 3:45 400, Sandy ran a 1:01 400, Ang ran a 2:27 800 and then there was Andie. Their time ranks them third in the nation so far, which is surprising. It's also a national "B" level qualifier, which means that they are not automatically qualified, but if there is a real lack of DMR qualifiers, Bloom would be in. I know they hope to lower their time though.

Next weekend we're racing at East Stroudsburg, and I am pretty sure I will be doing some short speedier stuff - the mile and the 800. That should be fun. Those are the races I focused on in high school, so it'll be nice to go for fast times in those. Then the next weekend, I'll be at Bucknell probably shooting for that 3000 qualifier again.

We had a long run today, and boy did I feel tired and sluggish. Lately I've been eating up those long runs for dinner, but today was tough. A 12.5 miler. (Course is attached.) Most Sundays I get to the rec center and do some cross training, and I think that keeps me loose for Monday long runs, but yesterday I did not get there. I wonder if that was a factor in today's run.

Another thing I've noticed is that my body generally feels stronger when I'm running - more under control I guess. I attribute a lot of that to the ab work I've been doing a lot of. When I first started my ab routine, I didn't really expect much to come of it running-wise. I just wanted to get rid of a bit of flabbiness, but I really do feel stronger in my core while I'm running.

I had been experiencing a bit of tendinitis on the inside of my right leg lately, but I assumed that had to do with my old shoes. I've had new shoes for a week now, and today I felt it again. Not only that, but there was a weird pain in the top of my right foot, in the inside metatarsal. I am usually one to get overly nervous about every little ache and pain (I mean, I have had quite the history of injuries) so hopefully this will turn out to be nothing. I'll just have to keep doing my exercises for my lower legs and feet.