A much needed break

"A perfect run has nothing to do with distance. It's when your stride feels comfortable. You're on your toes trying to push it. Suddenly you realize you can open it up a bit more. You know you're at one with yourself and the environment. You're a little more alive than before you started." - Sean Astin.

I had this feeling this morning during my 8-mile run. It felt really good and I didn't have to talk myself into finishing it, which is really just a great way to start the week.

I think why I felt this good is because I didn't workout at all for four days over the holiday weekend. There were a couple instances where I panicked a little, "omg! I need to go for a run!" But overall, I enjoyed the break and took advantage of the mini vacation with the hubs. Also, the shooting pain that I had radiating from my ankle was gone this morning. Another reason why I probably needed that break - a chance for my body to heal. It's hard for runners sometimes to step back and take a couple days off, but I saw this morning that those couple days only helped my training.

Here's what I got up to, while not running:

We just moved to Charleston, so we spent some time unpacking. Oh, the gems you find while going through some stuff you haven't seen in awhile

We hung out at the beach a bit, which is my favorite place ever. The water was so warm

10 minutes after this picture that cloud behind me let loose with torential downpour, but then 10 minutes after that it was sunny again and we went back to lay out

I ate. A lot. This is an Oreo Cheesecake Popsicle

Me and the hubs grabbed a loaf of bread and black truffle garlic olive oil from a local farmer's market then sat by the river and ate

We also did some unpacking. We barely made a dent though

 

The running schedule for the rest of the week (after that great break):

 

Tuesday - 4 miles

Wednesday - 6

Thursday - 5

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 16

Sunday 2