So far, so good...

So the first week of my quest to run 1,000 miles in 2012 is over...this is going to be tough.  I think I did fairly well this week running a total of 19 miles (5.2 Mon, 1 Tu, 3 Wed, 3 Fri, 6.8 Sat), but it was a struggle.  The real issue thus far has been my leg strength.  I'm thinking that my legs will adapt to the longer distances within the next couple of weeks, and that I  won't be so freaking sore afterwards.  I've been trying to stretch on a consistent basis, but it's usually the last thing you want to do after running, especially in the morning.  Unfortunately, I do think I'm going to have to just deal with my ankles being extremely stiff every morning.  After repeated ankles sprains over the years playing basketball and soccer, I don't think there's any major therapy or modifications I can do to mitigate the ankle soreness.  I don't think wrapping them will do any good since I'm just running straight forward.  I do need to do a better job of icing both ankles down after long runs, but that takes time and I'm impatient (see above about stretching). 

I have not yet established a set structure for running each week, and really just want to let my body tell me what I can do.  I did not anticipate running as far as I did this past Saturday, but I felt good after 5 miles and decided to push it a little longer thanks to a timely change on the iPod to Europe's Final Countdown.  I did cramp up, so perhaps I wasn't quite ready to take it that much further.  I'm aiming to do 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, rest, 4 this week.  I'm not going to have the time for a really long run this week, so a more consistent schedule seems to be the solution.  I hope that not having but one rest day doesn't create any issues. 

I've been disappointed with my TV options running in the morning on my treadmill.  I used to like the CNN early morning show, but they have revamped it with longer features and commentary.  I want the quick hitting headlines as I start the day, which the previous version of the show had (they also told you what the "national day" was, which was usually entertaining/baffling), not some talking heads going back and forth about the usual political nonsense the media love to focus on during every other minute of the day.  And Sportcenter is just unwatchable after the first 5 minutes.  Oh well...

Until next week..."may the wings of liberty never lose a feather" -- Jack Burton