the power of gum (apparently)

Saturday's schedule showed a 3 mile run.  Saturday's 3 miler didn't happen.  =/  Where to start?

I have been bad about getting proper sleep.  I averaged 6 hours per night all week long.  BAD KIM!  I went to bed around midnight on Friday night.  I had the crock pot working away and I'm pretty sure it woke my dogs up around 3am because they insisted on waking me up to "explore" where the scent was coming from.  I couldn't go back to sleep until 4:30.  =/  I didn't set an alarm.  I didn't wake up again until 9:45.  I am currently taking a couple of medications that require me to wait 30 minutes in between taking and then another 30 minutes before eating.  I took the first medication.  I waited until 10:15 and I took the next one.  My plan was to eat something at 10:45, but then I figured since my thighs were still so very pathetically sore from Thursday's 2-miler, that perhaps I should soak them in an Epsom salt-bath for a little bit (uh...maybe I should have done that the night before).  Next thing I know, it's 11:15.  OH CRAP!  Family lunch is at 12:30.  I'm a super slow turtle runner - especially since I have extra calcification on my pelvis slowing me down, so I need to book it - STAT!  I never had breakfast.

I leave the house.  I had already stretched, so that was good.  I did not remember my gum, so that was bad.  I know many of you think I'm a silly girl for insisting that my gum "keeps me hydrated" and helps "regulate my breathing", BUT I really stand by those statements.  One of my meds leaves me quite thirsty, so while 3 miles should not require a drink - especially in these weather conditions - I was dying for one after the first half mile.  I was breathing like I was dying, too, for that matter.  I finally got it somewhat under control for my second mile, but I was so concerned about time and my thighs really were sore, so I decided coming from the bench with only one other 2-miler under my belt, 2 miles was going to have to do.

I was able to plug my Garmin in and compare Thursday's 2 mile stats to Saturday's.  I took 37 seconds off my average pace.  That's pretty impressive!  It could have been that I felt more confident, that it was morning versus evening (after work), but still...  The disconcerting thing was my heart rate.  I forgot to lap out Thursday's run, but I know that my average heart rate for the entire run was 156 bpm.  I did remember to lap out my Saturday run.  My average heart rate for the first mile was a 197 bpm while my average heart rate for the second mile was a 157 bpm.  This made my average a 177 bpm for the run.  The even scarier number was the max heart rate for the first mile - 244!  Yikes!  My max on Thursday was a 177.  What happened yesterday?!  Was this all because of the gum?!  Lesson learned - never ever leave home without it!  Rest assured, I will be keeping an eye on this, however, as I know that 244 is not a good number.

In the end, I'm okay with only doing 2.  I don't want to push myself.  I don't want to re-injure myself.  I want to be able to have a successful journey this year!  I would rather have a good 2 miler, than a crappy 3 if that makes sense.

Since I got my doctor's full release, I am now ready to move onto that other part of THE PLAN regarding picking out at least one 24-Hour Fitness class to attend per week.  I've picked out this week's class.  I'm a bit nervous about it, but I told myself that if I hate it, I don't have to go back to this one.  It's Tuesday @ 6pm and it's called the 24S.E.T.  Here's the description from their website:  This cardio/strength combination class alternates strength exercises to sculpt every major muscle group with easy to follow step moves.  Hmmm...easy to follow?  We'll see about that!  I was never very good at Simon Says or Follow the Leader!

The week's exercise plan:
Sunday - rest
Monday - 2 mile run
Tuesday - 24S.E.T
Wednesday - 2 mile run
Thursday - kettle bell workout (DVD)
Friday - cross-trainer elliptical (with arms) for 45 minutes
Saturday - 3 mile run

There you have it - one 24-hour class, two cross-training arm work-outs, 3 runs - perfect!  We'll check back in Saturday or Sunday to see how I did!  =)