Running with hills

So, in my new life, there are hills. I went out for a 90 min run Sunday morning after taking Saturday off to spend the day with my mother and sister shopping at ikea, spending tons of money, and assembling furniture. I knew that I didn't have many (any) non-hilly options near home, so I just figured I would take it easy, not worry about my mile splits, and just enjoy the lovely morning (high 60s and slightly overcast= perfect for a run!). I started out on the main road just outside of my apartment complex, and it has a good long mile or so uphill. So, I took it slow, and just kept chugging along, knowing I'd get to do the downhill on the way home! I kept exploring (the nice thing about a new neighborhood is that there is plenty of opportunity for first-time routes!) and willed myself to be strong up every hill. I actually surprised myself in that while the hills were constant and tough, they were manageable. Plus, how strong these unavoidable hills will make me?! Towards the end, I was struggling mentally at each incline, but I powered through, and finished about 9.5 miles. I was really pleased, and just felt great- like I could have kept going if I hadn't felt guilty about leaving mom and sis to start more apartment settling.

Friday I had done a swim at the local Y- the nice man at the desk even let me try the pool out for free since I didn't officially join yet (though I plan to since it's a nearby 25 yd pool). The only bad thing about this pool is that it was WARM. Now, anyone who knows me knows about how I would timidly sit beside the 6 lane pool at the Etown Y, willing myself to get started. And of course, as soon as I did 1 lap, I warmed up. However, this new-to-me pool is a LOT warmer (probably somewhere in between the 4 and 6 lane pools at the Etown Y, and I warmed up really fast...too fast even. However, after not swimming for over a week, it did feel great to get in there, and I figure, in the dead of winter, it's going to be a LOT easier to will myself to get into the pool! Also, this Y has an indoor track. It's really small (17 laps per mile!) but I think it will be a nice alternative to the treadmill.

I started work today. It was the first day so it was mostly safety training. I did, however, find a coworker who goes on bike rides tuesdays after work (with a stop for ice cream in the middle!) so I'm going to tag along with her tomorrow! I am looking forward to it- both to hopefully make a new training friend, and to learn about some safe bike-able roads in the neighborhood! So far, so good, Metro-west Mass!