Back in the saddle

I have not exercised in any form since last Thursday morning, well that was until 5:45 this morning.  That's five days of nothing - no walking, no running, no Arc trainer, nothing, nada, zip, zilch.  Now that you get where I am going... not working out for 5 straight days was so foreign to me. 

Why didn't I work out?  Well, I ran with Alisha on Thursday morning and could tell that my breathing was off and my throat hurt a little.  By Friday morning, I had a bad cough and by Friday evening I had no voice.  Saturday morning, I was supposed to do 8 miles around Beaufort and could barely move.  I was sick - yuck!  I ended up staying home from work on Monday and slept the bulk of the day.  By the time I got through the workday on Tuesday, I was exhausted and decided to take one more day off and vowed to get back at it on Wednesday. 

This morning, I met up with my awesome running buddies (Sarah and Alisha).  I wanted to run, but I was worried that the five days off would cause me to be extremely slow.  Thank goodness for Sarah being an awesome pacer!  There were several times that I could feel my legs saying "Go faster, go faster...", but I did my best to stick with Sarah and Alisha, as I knew Sarah had my best interest in mind with the pace.  We finished 2.5 miles in 32 minutes (not too much slower than normal). 

I think it's easy to say that my body was glad to be back in the saddle.  While my body enjoyed the few days of rest, it was ready to get back to movin'.  The run was the perfect thing for the beginning of my day.  I know that I probably say this way too much, but I am amazed at how far I have come.  When I started running in July, I couldn't imagine saying that I missed doing any sort of physical activity.  Now, my body and soul thrive on that time.  I love the "therapy" session and the health benefits - so great!  Lovin' this new me!!

Our first half marathon is in 24 days!!!  I can't believe it!  I am so full of so many different emotions.  I can't wait for May 14th to get here!