I Should Stretch and Do Core Work, Right?

Not much to say really. I’ve continued running everyday this week. I haven’t run too long and/or fast, but I’m on pace to run over 60 miles this week. Even though I’ve been taking it easy, my legs are still pretty tired. One of the problems has been the wind. It blows hard every day here. What I need to do is let the wind slow me down, but for whatever reason, when I run into the wind, I naturally push harder so that I maintain my pace. Sometimes I’ll catch myself doing it and will slow down, but it doesn’t take long before I notice that my pace is back up. However, I’m sure the real reason my legs are tired is that I’m not used to running every day. For a long time, I’ve taken at least one day off a week. I may go back to that once I enter a race specific training plan, but for now I’m trying to adjust to one or two runs every day and only taking a day off if I feel that I need it. Even so, my legs aren’t too tired. After a couple of miles, I get into a groove and feel pretty good for the duration of my run.

I keep telling myself that I should stretch and do core work if I want to become a more complete runner. I don’t know if this is true or not, but it seems like it couldn’t hurt. Actually, in January and February I was pretty good about doing basic strength work (push ups and crunches); however, when I went to San Diego for a week I broke my routine and haven’t got back to it. I don’t think it will be a problem building back up. Stretching on the other hand is not something I’m fond of. Except for team sports in high school, I’ve never really gave much thought to stretching, which may explain why I may be the most inflexible person in the world.

My weight loss effort took a hit last week. My daughter and I each had a birthday; however, I’m glad to say that all cake and ice cream are now gone from the house. Plus, the guy at work who can always talk me into going out to lunch is moving out of town at the end of the month. He’s a good guy, and I’ll miss having him around, but his absence will be good for my diet (and my wallet).