Can I break 30 minutes???

It's been two weeks since the Philadelphia Marathon and I have spent this time enjoying some recovery. That doesn't mean that I have been sitting on the couch but taking it easy just a bit.

Four days after the marathon I did the annual turkey trot near my home in Massachusetts. It was sooooo COLD that morning. I started running and I felt great post-marathon. I ended up PR'ing by a minute compared to the year before. I don't know if I have naturally gotten faster or was it just so cold I wanted to finish as fast as I could!!

Ten days post Philly Marathon, I was back in the City of Brotherly Love for work. I was excited to head out for another run through the streets of Philadelphia. I headed toward Kelly Drive to run

along the Schuylkill River. I decided I needed to show the City of Philadelphia that Rocky has nothing on me. I had to run up the stairs of the Art Museum of Philadelphia aka the Rocky Steps. The sun was just coming up over the city and I headed up the stairs. Made it to the top and it was a perfect view of the city.

Prior to the start of the marathon I joked to my friend Mary Lou that when I was done I would run up the stairs. Of course that didn't happen...it was hard enough getting up the stairs of the shuttle bus never mind the Rocky Steps. So I had to do it during this trip!!

 The last update was this past Saturday I did a virtual 5k which was a fundraiser for my friend Meghan who is raising money for the Ironman Foundation as she trains for Ironman LP. I ran the race in the afternoon because I had to attend a funeral in the morning. I felt great as soon as I started running. I don't know if it was all the emotions I was feeling, that I needed to run them off, or my joints were looser in the afternoon compared to morning runs. But I finished this 5K in one of my fastest times in quite a while.

When I saw my time it brought me back to 2001 when I was training for my first triathlon. At that time I could run a 10 minute mile. I remember because I was working in the Athletic Department at Syracuse University. It always worked out that I could run a quick 3 miles at lunch, show and get back to my desk within an hour. It has been almost 18 years since I have seen a consistent 10 minute mile. Since that time there has been injuries and the struggle with my weight that slowed me down. I never stopped trying but I never thought I would see a 10 minute mile again! It's taken over 2 years since my surgery but I have finally seen that time again.

My next question is can I run under a 10 minute mile during a 5K??? I have another 5K race on the calendar next weekend...will it happen?  Sometimes I hate adding that pressure of finishing in a certain time because you never know how you will be feeling that day. However, I think I may try it!!

Keep moving forward!!