A successful long run! And exciting news!

News first : I've been toying with this idea for awhile, but some things came together recently and I decided to just go for it!  I have officially signed up to get my Personal Training certification through NASM!  I'm also taking their Fitness Nutrition Specialist course.  At some point I plan to get a certification to coach running as well, but I have to choose a different organization for that.  NASM is letting me spread my payments over 12 months interest free which enabled me to start right away, but I will probably need to save up money for the coaching cert. Once I have my certifications, I will probably only do online coaching since I already have a full-time job teaching, but I also may look for local summer employment as a personal trainer.  Originally I had thought about getting into online coaching without getting all the certifications, but after some research and remembering how sue-happy everyone is these days, it seems like that would not be a good idea.  So I'm going the official route.  And of course going the official route means I will be that much better of a coach in the end, because even though I might pretend I know all there is to know, of course there is always more to learn!

This week : 

M : circuit training 33:15

run 6.2 / 11:02 / 883 ft

(hill workout : road/grass/trail) 

T : yoga 60 minutes

tempo run : 8 / 7:18 / 233 ft

(3 mile progression 6:42, 6:31, 6:10)

W : rest

R : run 15.1 / 7:43 / 955 ft

F : TRX 45 minutes

walk 1.2 miles

Sa : run 5.8 / 8:04 / 361 ft

Su : hike 1.7 miles

total miles : 35.1

I've avoided trails for months because I'm always worried about my ankles, and now a month before my big PR attempt I decided I just had to go run some trails.  They are fun!  However, I am really relieved that I didn't roll an ankle, and I'm hoping to keep myself off the trails til after my race.  This is the most dangerous time of year to be on them with all the leaves falling!

Tuesday's tempo run started out with a vague idea that I wanted to be 6:45 or under.  We picked up the pace a bit after the second tempo mile and it felt good, so at the end of the 2nd mile when I saw the split, I decided I was doing a progression and kicked it up another notch.  At that point, the guys stopped sticking with me and started pushing the pace themselves, and it turned into me just trying not to lose sight of them for that 3rd mile.  I was super excited with how fast I pulled off the 3rd mile, and how strong I felt! 

On Thursday, the guys couldn't make it to run club so I decided to start my run early and run til I felt the need to stop. I was hoping for 10-12 but also trying not to get my hopes up too high.  Each time I had to choose whether to go further or turn towards home, I felt good enough to go further, until I knew I was getting 15 miles.   I did not allow myself to look at my pace at any point during the run, but I did try not to let it feel like a jog at any point.  I had to work hard for the last 2 miles, but I was amazed when I finished the run and found out how far below 8:00 my average was!  Now I am feeling much more confident about my chances of getting a PR at Star City on November 18!  I do know that there are many things that could go wrong between now and then, or during the race, and I am determined not to beat myself up if I don't get that PR that I so desperately want, but it will be nice to at least know it was within reach!  It hasn't felt within reach until now.  

Letting out my inner child in the woods today.

A baby waterfall is better than no waterfall!  

And this one's only a 15 minute drive away.