On Sunday, I get to return to my very first love: 4k cross country!
Even better, I get to do so in a brand new uniform. It is beautiful, and I feel like a badass (and I kind of want matching pink lipstick). (sidenote: you should totally check out this postby Lauren Fleshman on the psychology of the emotional response towards one’s wardrobe choices). (sidenote x2: I never realized that Oiselle’s pro-kit had a wing across the front. From pictures, I always thought those were claw marks. Wings make more sense).
(shameless, grainy flip phone/bathroom mirror pic. 2010 is back in style.)
The race I am running is part of USATF Indiana’s grand prix series. I was really excited when I first heard about the races, but figured I wouldn’t be able to compete in any of them, given the proximity to the marathon. Last week, I decided my legs were recovered enough to give it a go, and I couldn’t be more excited. My high school PR is 14:23, so it’ll be interesting to see if post-marathon Anna can beat high school Anna :)
I’m really happy with how my legs have bounced back from Twin Cities. A crucial component of my recovery these past couple weeks has been running on grass as much as possible. I’m so fortunate that my Bloomington apartment isn’t far from the IU cross country course, and the Indy house is less than half a mile from a grass trail that runs along Eagle Creek. In the past week alone, I have run 30 miles just on grass! I have some nagging hamstring tightness that is preventing me from feeling comfortable about tackling any long efforts, but I’m hoping after my massage appointment on Wednesday, I can start trying to go for 12+ mile runs soon. I did a hilly 10 mile run yesterday with minimal post-run soreness, so I think I’m getting close to 100%.
Finally, I’m also starting to feel like I’m getting back into the mental swing of things. Since I’m still running fewer miles (shooting for 55 this week), I’m staying busy by building myself a website, getting a portfolio put together of the freelance writing I’ve been doing recently, and catching up on little life things. Hopefully that will all be completed soon and I can start becoming a bit more self-sufficient!