Back in the saddle again!

After 11 days of rest, several miniature mental breakdowns, and countless giant ibuprofen I am running again. Oh, how I've waited for this day...*sigh*...I didn't realize how much my running had become such a constant in my life until I had to take an unwanted break. To name just a few of the things I missed...

• Having a schedule: because I have the summer off from work, running has satisfied my crazy need to always have something to work toward. I have filled my weeks with running commitments and very much enjoyed meeting them--it gives me a sense of accomplishment.
• Having an outlet: running is great for your mental health, especially if you're crazy like me and have a brain that likes to run at a million miles an hour just to drive you crazy and make you worry about things that don't matter :p Running sends my brain to a happy place and helps it stay there more often. When I'm not running regularly my brain likes to find things to worry/obsess about just for fun.
• Making progress: it was tough to watch my teammates rack up the mileage while I was sidelined. I love the steady improvement and the fact that many weeks I am running more than I ever have before.

Tonight was my first run and I took it fairly slow. I also made sure to stretch well both before and after my run. Oh, and I skipped out on the big hill that is normally at the end of my route. I am pleased to say that I was completely pain free throughout the run and afterward!!!

I am now icing my knee, just to be safe. I plan to run with the 7/1 interval group on Sunday and to take it slow. I'll run on grass when it's available, I'll take my time stretching before and after, and I'll stand in the cool ocean in Santa Monica when that 18 miler is all done, feeling immensely grateful to be healthy and able to do something that I love so much.