Rainy Days

We finally got some rain in Austin this week. After months of drought it was badly needed and very welcome. I got to enjoy some of it yesterday morning and had a great 21 mile run - 15 by myself followed by another 7 with my group. It felt wonderful.

One of the benefits for me of coaching with Round Rock Fit again is that my solo run includes the pressure of having a time deadline to get back to take my group out. This ensures that I can't ease off the pace and be lazy, and then I have to force myself to keep hitting sub-8 minute miles on tired legs while running with my group. Every week toughens me up both physically and mentally - it gave me an extra spring to my step last season, and I'm hoping it will do this same this year.

On that group run I ran with a couple of guys training for their first marathon, and they peppered me with questions about training, hydration and race tactics. I shared some of my training theories, described ways to mix up the weekly runs, and relayed some of the things I've found to work and explained why. We've got a good little group this year, and it's a great feeling to help them achieve their goals.

My plan was to do another 20 miles on hills this morning, but we were awake walking around with Dylan until the early hours of the morning and I have absolutely no recollection of my alarm going off this morning (actually a lot of last night is pretty hazy). Instead, Gavin came and woke our tired sleepy heads up at 8am.

One of the things you swiftly realize when you have a new baby is the importance of being flexible, so I changed plans and made this a cross training day. I did an hour of core this morning, another hour of yoga this afternoon, and finished off with a good half hour of wrestling and tickling with Gavin.

I think that boy is going to be athletic - he's strong, solid, fast, very agile and extremely sneaky. If he were a rugby player, I bet he'd make a good scrumhalf.

I'm hoping that we'll be able to run together one day - I just wonder if I'll be be able to keep up with him.

And let me tell you something about core - if you can hold plank for a minute with a rambunctious 45lb 4 year old sitting on your back heckling you (while being encouraged by his mother), you're doing something right!!!