mileage, calendar

yesterday i worked on a training calendar that should take me all the way to the valley of fire half. i used a variety of sources, and it still needs to be more specific, but at least i got off to a good start by doing the 35 minutes slated. i ran with brian and duke and focused on a) safety in the heat, b) good form for efficient energy expenditure, and c) use of topography to my advantage (that just means running hills well). my core work paid off even more than i ever thought it would because my posture was excellent, which, in turn, kept my chest open for better breathing, even when i was tired. the fact that i even noticed the strength in those muscles is a good sign--people often underestimate the impact of abs on fitness; they just want the 6-pack. but anyway. brian and i and the dog did the loop by his house, and i extended it by 5 minutes by charging up the hill on bond st. ugh. even though it's a bitch of a hill, i was able to stay focused and speed back down, finishing strong just beyond brian's house. i'm really excited at how focused and disciplined i was, especially since yesterday was not good and that i was nervous about running in heat. yee-haw!