Running instead of training

Without a real plan in sight (a race entry) training has become running....just running.  When I started running in April 2011, the purpose was to become a runner and run a marathon.  Ever since then there has always been a race ahead but not now.  Husband is hurt...plantar fasciitis just won't take a hike....it's killing me.  I feel guilty for being injury-free.  I can't see signing up for another race without him (I ran a Half in August without him).  When we started running, we did it together.  It was "our thing".  We had a new common goal, a new-found common interest.  So running is solo for now...and it's running; not training.

So I'm using this time to get faster overall.  I'm working to make my easy runs faster.  I'm working to see how fast I can go while staying relaxed.  I'm pushing my threshold and working to keep my pace as consistent and steady as possible throughout each run.  It's working.

A new extension was added to our river path a few months ago.  I have been LOVING it.  It used to be 1.3 miles away and once there it was a 4 mile loop, then the 1.3 back home for a total of 6.6 miles.  Also the 1.3 each way was along a horribly busy highway/bypass road...loads of traffic and trucks and a few big intersections to navigate.  The NEW portion of the trail extends WAY closer to my house and is now nearly directly south so I get to cruise 1 mile exactly to get on the trail and the traffic is minimal.  Once at the river, it's now a 6-mile loop then another mile back home for a total of 8 miles exactly.  It's awesome!  First it was 1hour5minutes.  A little push made it 1hr4mins.  Yesterday, 1hr2mins and it wasn't painfully difficult.  It wasn't easy but it wasn't so hard.  I'll call it moderate.  But it's my new thing....my new Tuesday(ish) run.  Maybe I'll do it every week, or every-other-week.  I don't know but I like it and it's fun to make some kind of "training" out of a beautiful river run.  And someday soon I'm going to do it in under 1 hour.

And a beautiful shot of the most beautiful sleepy dog....that lives at my house :)