Up and running again!

My internet has been down (fried modum) since last Wednesday!  Very hard to blog from a Blackberry and definitely not something I want to start doing while at work.  Since I don't have a personal laptop going to a cafe wasn't an option.

So I missed out on last week's Running and Reading Long post, but am going to take part this week!

We have been reading Second Wind by Cami Ostman.  I'm going to admit right away that this isn't my favourite book of the ones we've been asked to read.  In fact, it might just be the one I liked the least.  It's definitely an interesting book, but I found I couldn't relate to it as much as the other books.  It felt very self reflective, and since I haven't experienced the break up of a marriage and that kind of struggle I found it hard to get through.  With that said, I would like to move on to what we are suppose to talk about this week for this book and think about all the great places Cami travelled!

For each marathon she participates in we're to talk about the big take-away for her (or us).  So here's my list:

Europe - Sometimes mistakes are made, but the achievement still counts!

Australia - This was her first official marathon and turned in to a challenge as she faced herself, her own thoughts, past, and current situation.  We need to take time for ourselves, to grow and develop, even when we are in the midst of a relationship or anything else life throws our way.

North America - I felt this chapter for me was about facing fears and dealing with them, rather than letting the fear dictate your actions (in this case running the same "safe" route all the time).

Asia - This was the chapter I liked the best, but I think that's because I've been to Japan and visited Mount Fuji.  It made me want to visit again, although I have lots of new places to visit before I revisit places I've been.  I felt this chapter was about remembering good times, recognizing growth in yourself (the Warrior Woman).

Africa - Besides running a marathon when she was sick, I think this chapter was more about recognizing our human history.  Including our biases, and our racism (past and current).

South America - Be comfortable with yourself and specifically your body.  We are often too critical of what our bodies do (or don't) and how they look (or don't).

Antartica - No matter what the obstacles in your way you can achieve your goals, even if the goal is slightly modified from your original plan.

Training Update:
Things are going slowly.  I'm having more fun with my weight training than I am with my running.  I took a few days off from runnning due to a sore leg, but feeling better now.  The good news is my heart is getting more and more efficient all the time.  I train with a heart rate monitor and it's getting tougher and tougher during weight training and spin classes to get my heart rate up to the 80-90% max.  This also caused some concern at my physical when my resting heart rate was 44 bpm (sound really good, but part of it is hereditary.  Even when I was 260 lbs, my resting heart rate was 52 bpm).
So this coming week, my goal is to increase my speed to see if I can run 5K in less than 30 minutes by July 15th.  If I can do that, then I should be able to do that at my race on the August long weekend.