Family-Be-Gone

The clan was in Toronto for the weekend for my cousin's wedding. My sisters, brother-in-law and 7 month old niece stayed with me from Friday through to this morning.

Dealing with visiting family is more exhausting than jogging - that's for sure!

I also had my job's big annual luncheon on Friday... lunch for 450 cranky, hungry, humourless people is fun in an express train straight to hell kind of way.

So on Friday morning, knowing that I would be undergoing severe stress (and coupled with a nasty case of acid reflux from the burrito I HAD to eat the night before from Burrito Boys on Adelaide Street) running was definitely off the schedule. The gigantic amounts of food and alcohol consumed on Friday with my immediate family, Saturday with the full clan and bride's family and then yesterday with just my dad's folks left me almost dead this morning. I definitely should have worked harder to get more (non-adult) beverages into my system... I was guzzling water post-jog like a desert bedouin reaching an oasis.

I went four full days without jogging. And I missed it... to the point where it actually felt GOOD to wake up at an ungodly hour this morning and strap on my shoes.

Shock.

Regardless, four days are four days and I didn't think that attempting my first 3/4 mile run was the best plan. Instead, I reverted back to my comfortable 5/8 run, 3/8 walk routine which left me tired but happy.

My heart rate (checked with my brand-spaking new Speedo Heart Rate Monitor Watch) peaked at 183 (yikes). My first quarter-mile took me 2:12.

I think I need to slow down...

Oh well.

DAY 9 REPORT

wake-up time 5:45am
1 mile total (plus walking to and from track)

3 half circuits walking (3/8 mile), 1 half circuit running (1/8 mile), 2 full circuits running (1/2 mile)

Total Walked: 3/8 mile
Total Ran: 5/8 mile

Legs - first lap went really well legs-wise, very loose. Second, third and fourth laps had a bit of pain/tightness
Lungs - definitely not as wheezy as on other days, but not conversation-ready yet either
Stomach - stitchy after the second full running lap, but it improved with some stretching during the walking half-lap which following
Sweat level - medium

Overall Impression: I need to break this plateau I've created and start adding a third full running lap ASAP