Last week was so weird. Work was weird (and stressful, and awkward). Home life was weird. Weather was weird. You get the idea.

Let’s start with work. Work was stressing me out bigtime last week. I don’t want to get into it too much, but I felt like I was taking stabs in the dark at this thing I was working on, and that I fundementally didn’t understand what I was doing, because we’d meet about it and then someone would say, "weelllll, that’s not really how it works," or "welllllll, the system doesn’t really have that capability," or "welllllll, we can’t support this feature on the back end, so we need to take it out." Meanwhile, we have an iteration due date coming up, and a lot of things just weren’t nailed down. So then I was feeling stupid, like I didn’t "get it", and I stayed up all night working on stuff, not sleeping, having anxiety, etc. Not a pleasant week there.

And because I was stressed at work, I wasn’t fun to be around at home. Rob was so patient and good; he really was. But all I felt like doing was sleeping (although I couldn’t sleep),  and I was just in this big, blue funk the whole week.

And then there was the weather. It was strangely warm but very rainy last week. Every time I thought about running, it was pouring. So I just didn’t do it. My plan was to salvage a 5 mile run on Sunday and start back up again this week.

Anyway, on Saturday, we had our friends over for dinner. I made braciole, pumpkin ravioli w/sage cream sauce & pine nuts, home made bread w/garlic oil for dipping, and salad. Spent the whole day preparing for that – cleaning, shopping, cooking – and then cleaning up after they left.

Yesterday, my planned run day, I got a call from my friend Laura, who asked me if I wanted to come over for coffee and then go work out with her at Sports Club LA in downtown Boston, which is about the fanciest gym ever. I really wanted to see her, so I decided I’d just run at the gym.

So, the gym. Let’s just say it was the most surreal experience I’ve ever had in an athletic facility. First of all, it is swanky. Really, really swanky. There’s a check-in downstairs, then you ride the elevator up and check in again at the concierge desk, which is in front of this slate tile waterfall thing. The facility itself is enormous. There’s a whole mind/body floor with yoga, pilates, and spa treatments, another floor with a pool, squash courts, 2 huge spinning studios, and a gigantic cardio area which overlooks the Boston Common. Not to mention the weight area (also huge), locker/shower area (nicest I’ve ever been in), and steam room. Apparently, it’s also a total meat market, and there were all these women with fake boobs and full make-up on the workout floor, wearing designer gear and whathaveyou. In short, Holy Sh*t.

I started off on the treadmill, which was a much less pleasurable experience than I was expecting. I am just so used to running outside, I guess, that I was hating the TM within about 5 minutes. Thinking back, I probably haven’t run on a TM since last spring. Anyway, I banged out 30 minutes on that, after having the realization that hey, I can run anytime and enjoy it a lot more, and I should take advantage of equipment I don’t have access to. So I switched to this elliptical crossramp thing and did 45 minutes on that at a good clip. Then I went over to the freeweight area and did some weights, ab work, etc. We finished up, showered, then went and grabbed a bite to eat. It was a fun afternoon, but I was wiped out, so I went home and crashed on the couch with Rob and the cat.

And now it’s Monday. I’m so very tired, but feeling that things are a little more normal this week, or that they will be, or something. We’re picking up our turkey tonight in Lexington, so I may put off my run until tomorrow, then run Weds, Friday, and Sunday.

12.3 miles for the week, over 3 runs. Not great, but not terrible. I was hoping to make it a 15 mile week.

In addition to all the back pain last week, I ended up with some pretty severe headaches on Thursday and Friday, which only prevent me from running if they are accompanied by nausea, which was the case last week. So anyway, I did my 4 miler on Wednesday, I guess it was, took 2 days off, and ran 5.2 on Saturday, then 3.1 on Sunday.

Saturday’s run was great. I ran a pretty challenging route for the first half of the run, then eased it out on the second half, which was definitely reflected in my split times. The weather was gorgeous, and a bit cold, but I had a great time out there.

On Sunday, I decided to check out this network of trails/carriage paths at Cutler Park, which is technically part of Newton, but seems really to be in Needham. Whatever. There’s a lake and one big loop around it, with some other trails branching off here and there. The main loop is about 1.5 miles. Another runner told me that there’s a back part of the trail which is usually muddier, but really beautiful, and that adds another mile+ to the route. Next time I will check that out, I think.

The trail is quite wide, a bit rocky in places, a bit rooty in places, but otherwise pretty flat & smooth, and didn’t have a ton of mud, save for one section under the pines. Still, I took it kind of slow, given my propensity to turn ankles and fall on my face. :)  I banged out my 2 loops, stretched a bit, then went home.

My legs are tired today, so I’m going to to my weights, core exercises, and stretching tonight.

This week should see me running 15 miles, and I’m feeling pretty confident about that, which is a new thing for me. Seriously, I haven’t felt this good about how I’m running in a long time, and that is a beautiful thing. It helps that I have a wonderful network of running friends (bloggers and non), who, even though they typically run WAY more MPW than I, are supportive, encouraging, and just generally awesome.

And that helps me so much. Really. So, thank you. :)

It’s funny how, when something happens, like an injury or a long work week, resulting in missed runs, I turn into a royal pain in the ass. Last week, I was only able to get in 9.5 miles or so before I tweaked my back, and I tell you what – I have been pretty darn pissed/upset every day since it happened.

But that’s all done now.

Last night, I went out for a 3 mile run that I stretched into 4 miles because I was feeling so great. It was gorgeous out yesterday: high 60s, nice breeze, plenty of sun. By evening, it was still warm and the moon was out. I did a slow run up and down the streets of my neighborhood, venturing down new streets, climbing hills and descending down the other side. Right on.

Stretched a lot when I came home. Iced my sacroiliac joint. The usual. I’m a little tight today, but no real pain or anything. And if when the rain stops (or even if it doesn’t), I’ll probably run again tonight. Maybe only 3 miles, or maybe more, if I feel like it.

I am still thinking about what it would take to run a longer race come spring, and if I can get my long run up to 8 miles by the end of the year, I’ll probably commit to a Half in the spring.