On not being a wimp.

I mentioned in my New Year's post that one of my goals for the year is to step it up and not be a wimp when it comes to my training. I felt like everyone around me was challenging themselves constantly with their running while I was always tentative and afraid to push it, opting for rest over an extra workout, etc. I know it had a lot to do with my ankle injury and fear of reinjury, but after a certain point I had to stop letting that hold me back. It became habit to take and easy or off day when I wasn't sure what to do, so I vowed to fix that and I think I have. Now, every time I start to think about how to spend a little free time one evening or a day off, I think to myself "don't be a wimp, do some yoga tonight." Even this morning during my run I started to think thatI should just continue at my current pace even though I had a nice, flat mile ahead and I glanced at my Garmin and told myself "pick it up, don't be a wimp." It is working. 
I've changed my training schedule to include several tough days of running or swimming and instead of taking a day off each week, I've been working on more of a 10 day training "week". I think that the variety of training in my week (running, yoga and swimming) allows me to do that because I am really working different muscles on any given day. I'm not feeling tired or overworked at all, in fact I've been running with more energy and pep in my step than I have in months. Even my running group has noticed. Luckily they're all game for joining me on long runs when I have too much energy. Thanks guys. It has been incredibly helpful to have my favorite people along on my long runs the past few Saturdays. I'm averaging 10 miles on Saturday mornings thanks to my nearly 2 mile run just to meet the group- it's perfect half marathon training.
I've also been averaging between 6,000-8,000 yards in the pool each week (that's ~3.5-4.5 miles) and at least 1-2 yoga classes. I was on a roll with hitting the gym for strength training once a week after work, but I fell off the wagon a bit because it was leaving me really sore for my runs and swims on the following days. I need to sort that out. I was at 12 pull ups at then end of January (3 sets of 4) but have only done a few in the last two weeks, oops. 
I had two really great, strong runs the last two Saturday mornings, one up the nice, flat Putnam trail to Tibbetts Brook Park in the snow and the other through the rolling hills and trails of Riverdale and Van Cortlandt Park. I'm hoping to get in another 10 miler and a 12 or 13 miler before the Shamrock half on March 18th. I've been really trying to follow up the long runs with a shorter run on Sunday, and today I finally just got up early and did it. I ran 5 this morning through the hills of Fort Tryon park and around Inwood and though I feel tired now, I don't feel like a wimp. 


Speaking of Tibbets Brook Park, boy do I wish I were a Westchester resident- check out the new saline water park- you can see it from the Old Putnam Trail.