My end goal is to cross that finish line injury-free. My time isn’t going to be the best and I’m probably going to have to walk at some points, but coming out of this experience with no pain and no new injuries will be an accomplishment in itself. That’s why my approach to training was to go nice and easy with a 20-week plan. I wanted to give my body enough time to get used to all this running and then recover week after week.

Well, that didn’t really happen. I got in a few runs here and there, but life was crazy and I just couldn’t find time for it. Instead, I settled for a 16-week plan which was starting right on Christmas Day. I’m sure you can guess, but that didn’t happen either. The holidays can really throw you off track.

I tried to shake it off and put all of my energy into Week 2. New year, new me? Nope! This week was tough. It was really difficult to get myself out the door for runs after work, especially since the weather was not cooperating with me. I mentioned this in my last post, but I can’t stress it enough – wind burn is THE worst. And throw in some unplowed streets, icy sidewalks, and slush puddles to the mix and you can see why I wanted to opt for the treadmill! But even that didn’t help because treadmills are pure torture when you’re dealing with patella tendon issues – UGH.

So, I tried to shake it off again and I came into Week 3 determined to log some miles and get shit done. Proud to say I did just that! I started the week with a couple easy 4-5 mile runs and then picked up the pace with a MyStryde class.

Let me just say, I am soooo glad I found this place! MyStryde is a running studio with classes that help you get stronger, faster, and closer to your running goals. The best part – they have special WOODWAY treadmills that are easy on the joints and way more quiet than the ones you see at every other gym. I signed up for an Endurance class which was an exhausting hour of long run pushes, sprints, and hill intervals. But boy did it feel good to run like that on a treadmill again! I took another Power Stryde class this morning which turned out to be a full body workout with alternating rounds of tread work and strength exercises on the mat.

I also took advantage of the nice-ish weather and got in an 8-miler on Saturday! Hit a little speed bump when my bluetooth headphones died on mile 2 – classic Alexis move not charging anything – but the Back Bay served up some pretty great views so I was able to breeze through it.

Looking forward to Week 4!

Check out my Crowdrise page to donate to my campaign & support the ALS Association: http://bit.ly/BostonBeginnings262