Well, today was the day... my first 10k... and I loved every minute of it!!!
Today's weather was perfect for the Penton Memorial Turkey Trot 10k at LCCC... sunny and 50 degrees. And my running companion Jen did a great job of setting the pace to ensure that I could actually complete the entire race. Unfortunately, the two days of rain that led up to this morning's run didn't make for a particularly dry course and we spent a good half of the race trudging through puddles, thick mud and soggy grass. Of course, once we accepted our fate of wet shoes and socks and freezing cold feet, we were able to move past that fact and enjoy the rest of the race.
My biggest concern at the beginning was whether or not I could handle running the cross country style course - all grass - considering the fact that all of my recent training has been on the pavement or a treadmill. However, that may have been the one thing that helped me make it through the entire race. Running on the softer ground seemed to help a great deal with the persistent hip pain I'd been dealing with and I didn't feel any discomfort for more than half the race. Unfortunately, after a very short stint on the pavement, the pain kicked in and stuck with me the rest of the way, despite getting back on the grassy course. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to stop me from crossing that finish line.
And this was not my first time on this particular course. During my high school cross country days, this was a course we ran two to three times every year. Of course, it was the shorter 5k version, but still, it took me back many years. The one part in particular that stuck with me was the rather large hill that we had to run twice. It felt good to tackle that terrible hill again... and it was awesome to know I could still do it... even without the assistance of cross country spikes.
All in all, I'm very proud of my 88th place finish. Hopefully the results will be posted online at some point and I'll get to find out how I did in my own age group, but with 200+ runners registered, I'll take a better-than-half finish any day.
And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I can tell you that I'm particularly thankful this year for dry socks and hot showers... and, of course, my husband, whose patience in waiting for me to get our traditional Turkey Day started allowed me to run this race in the first place.
In more unfortunate news, there's no doubt at this point that this race was a bit much for my hip. It's clear there's an injury being battled and I'm determined to win... and I'm afraid it's going to require some time off. No worries... I'll be back...
Friday, November 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Day 72 (11/22): 3 miles / 30:00
So... you know that hip problem I was pretending not to have?... yeah... about that...
After a great 8 miles on Sunday and a day of rest on Monday, I'm finding myself pretty uncomfortable today with whatever this hip issue is. Unfortunately, I'm probably not doing at all what I should be doing about it. I've been so determined to get in a 10k before the end of the year and was lucky enough to find one on Thanksgiving (which is only two days away). At this point, I'm still unwilling to give it up, so, I've decided that I will allow myself at least a week of rest... right after Thanksgiving...
In the meantime, I gave myself a little break and stuck to an easy 3 mile run... which would have been a lot easier if I wasn't dealing with this discomfort.
Keep your fingers crossed that my Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k doesn't do any more damage and that Thursday's post is full of things to be thankful for :)
After a great 8 miles on Sunday and a day of rest on Monday, I'm finding myself pretty uncomfortable today with whatever this hip issue is. Unfortunately, I'm probably not doing at all what I should be doing about it. I've been so determined to get in a 10k before the end of the year and was lucky enough to find one on Thanksgiving (which is only two days away). At this point, I'm still unwilling to give it up, so, I've decided that I will allow myself at least a week of rest... right after Thanksgiving...
In the meantime, I gave myself a little break and stuck to an easy 3 mile run... which would have been a lot easier if I wasn't dealing with this discomfort.
Keep your fingers crossed that my Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k doesn't do any more damage and that Thursday's post is full of things to be thankful for :)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Day 71 (11/20): 8 miles / 1:12:43
I have to admit, I'm starting to second guess whether my pre-planned routes are as long as I thought they were. I'm certainly not concerned if I'm off by a tenth of a mile in an eight mile run, but I'm just having a hard time believing that I'm capable of running 8 miles at a 9:00 pace. I'd love to believe that I am, but I'm definitely planning to drive my route again just to be sure.
Nevertheless, I'm thrilled with today's run. After pushing myself harder than I should have yesterday, I was a little concerned that I was asking for trouble by not resting the body parts that might seriously need rest. Unfortunately, this is a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don't scenario... I could take it easy and blame the threat of injury when, in all reality, maybe it would just be me making excuses for not pushing myself past a minor discomfort. On the other hand, I could be pushing my body beyond its limits with the hope that an injury would allow me to be lazy for a few days. I can honestly say that I'm not sure which is actually happening here and I'm finding it kind of annoying that my own mind games are getting in the way.
With that said, I did push past my discomfort and found that I actually felt a lot better than I thought I would. Clearly, my leg is not going to fall off and, after giving birth, I'm pretty sure I can handle a lot more pain than what I've been dealing with for a few days (and trust me when I say that what I've felt the last few days can hardly be classified as 'pain'). I was so glad to get past it and find that, after the first mile, I felt great. My mile times made me a little nervous because I seemed to be going a lot faster than I thought I would be capable of, but if my route is, indeed, accurate, than I can honestly say that I'm much further along than I thought I would be at this point. At the completion of my run I enjoyed one of those "I know I can do this" moments... and that, in itself, feels pretty damn good.
Nevertheless, I'm thrilled with today's run. After pushing myself harder than I should have yesterday, I was a little concerned that I was asking for trouble by not resting the body parts that might seriously need rest. Unfortunately, this is a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don't scenario... I could take it easy and blame the threat of injury when, in all reality, maybe it would just be me making excuses for not pushing myself past a minor discomfort. On the other hand, I could be pushing my body beyond its limits with the hope that an injury would allow me to be lazy for a few days. I can honestly say that I'm not sure which is actually happening here and I'm finding it kind of annoying that my own mind games are getting in the way.
With that said, I did push past my discomfort and found that I actually felt a lot better than I thought I would. Clearly, my leg is not going to fall off and, after giving birth, I'm pretty sure I can handle a lot more pain than what I've been dealing with for a few days (and trust me when I say that what I've felt the last few days can hardly be classified as 'pain'). I was so glad to get past it and find that, after the first mile, I felt great. My mile times made me a little nervous because I seemed to be going a lot faster than I thought I would be capable of, but if my route is, indeed, accurate, than I can honestly say that I'm much further along than I thought I would be at this point. At the completion of my run I enjoyed one of those "I know I can do this" moments... and that, in itself, feels pretty damn good.
Day 70 (11/19) 4 miles / 38:11
With a small twinge in my hip for the last two days, I figured it might be a good idea to take it easy... now's not the time to battle an injury. Of course, for me, that's easier said than done...
I set the treadmill for 6 mph and figured that 4 miles in 40 minutes would be good enough for me. Unfortunately, with very little patience to work with and a never-ending desire to push myself harder, I quickly lost interest in taking it easy. Allowing for the few seconds it takes for the treadmill to get to full speed, my first three miles were completed in 30:05. And it was all downhill from there...
I decided to see just how fast I could go for my last mile - something I'd done before and was determined to improve upon. I'm sad to say that I didn't improve upon my last mile from a few weeks ago, which I had done in 8:04. Still, the 8:06 I achieved today was nothing to be unhappy about. I'm thrilled that I can run three miles and still push myself to run the last mile as quickly as possible. Of course, this makes me even more determined to get that time below 8 minutes... and I don't doubt there will be another run like this in my near future...
I set the treadmill for 6 mph and figured that 4 miles in 40 minutes would be good enough for me. Unfortunately, with very little patience to work with and a never-ending desire to push myself harder, I quickly lost interest in taking it easy. Allowing for the few seconds it takes for the treadmill to get to full speed, my first three miles were completed in 30:05. And it was all downhill from there...
I decided to see just how fast I could go for my last mile - something I'd done before and was determined to improve upon. I'm sad to say that I didn't improve upon my last mile from a few weeks ago, which I had done in 8:04. Still, the 8:06 I achieved today was nothing to be unhappy about. I'm thrilled that I can run three miles and still push myself to run the last mile as quickly as possible. Of course, this makes me even more determined to get that time below 8 minutes... and I don't doubt there will be another run like this in my near future...
Friday, November 18, 2011
Day 69 (11/17): 6 miles / 55:10
Life sometimes has a way of reminding you that you aren't necessarily in charge. Thus the reason my training schedule took a crap this week... not that I'm complaining. As it turned out, my adorable new nephew decided to make an early appearance and I'm not ashamed to say that running will always take a back seat in times like these. So, instead of blogging about a 6 mile run on Wednesday, I spent my evening with little man's big sister talking about how excited she was to meet her baby brother. It doesn't get much better than that.
Unfortunately, that meant a 6 mile run today. I'm not gonna lie - there was no part of me that wanted to run. After a busy day at work and a hectic week all around, what I really wanted to do was plop my ass on the couch and watch a cheesy Christmas movie. But I had to remind myself that I wasn't going to get any closer to my goal by sitting around eating ice cream... and since I'm not even close to being prepared for the marathon in May, I figured I should stick to the program. So, off I went...
At the beginning of my run I was very unsure I was going to hang in there for all 6 miles. I tried to focus on smaller goals - getting through one mile at a time, slowly increasing the speed with each mile. Instead of thinking about the 6 miles ahead, I focused on the 1 mile I had to run at 6.2 mph. For mile 2, I thought only about the mile I had to run at 6.3 mph. Shorter goals made it far easier to get through and, before I knew it, I had less than a mile to go. That's not to say that it didn't feel like an eternity at the time, but at least I can say I finished. Which I feel I can be quite proud of. A few months ago, when I first started this crazy thing, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to jump on the treadmill and run 6 miles. Now I find myself gearing up for 8 miles this weekend. I feel I've come a long way in 69 days (training days that is) and I can't wait to see what lies ahead in the next 6 months :)
Unfortunately, that meant a 6 mile run today. I'm not gonna lie - there was no part of me that wanted to run. After a busy day at work and a hectic week all around, what I really wanted to do was plop my ass on the couch and watch a cheesy Christmas movie. But I had to remind myself that I wasn't going to get any closer to my goal by sitting around eating ice cream... and since I'm not even close to being prepared for the marathon in May, I figured I should stick to the program. So, off I went...
At the beginning of my run I was very unsure I was going to hang in there for all 6 miles. I tried to focus on smaller goals - getting through one mile at a time, slowly increasing the speed with each mile. Instead of thinking about the 6 miles ahead, I focused on the 1 mile I had to run at 6.2 mph. For mile 2, I thought only about the mile I had to run at 6.3 mph. Shorter goals made it far easier to get through and, before I knew it, I had less than a mile to go. That's not to say that it didn't feel like an eternity at the time, but at least I can say I finished. Which I feel I can be quite proud of. A few months ago, when I first started this crazy thing, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to jump on the treadmill and run 6 miles. Now I find myself gearing up for 8 miles this weekend. I feel I've come a long way in 69 days (training days that is) and I can't wait to see what lies ahead in the next 6 months :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Day 68 (11/15): 4 miles / 38:08
With a lot of miles to put in this week (7 on Sunday, 4 today, 6 tomorrow, 4 Thursday, 4 Saturday and 8 Sunday), I decided, once again, to mix it up. First of all, I did the one thing I never do, I picked a speed and stuck with it for the entire run. I set the treadmill at 6.3 mph - I wanted to go a little easy on my legs to make sure I could get through every day this week. Second, I didn't want to be so focused on the distance. I decided I would only look at the distance at the end of every third song on my ipod. It was difficult at first and, I have to admit, I looked down at .12 miles. But, after that, I managed to stick to my goal and didn't look again until 1.1 miles, 2.35 miles and 3.4 miles. One more song got me to 3.7 miles and I checked the distance about every minute after that just so I was sure to stop and get an accurate time at the 4 mile mark. All in all, I would say it was a success.
There was only one issue... the songs on my ipod have never before seemed so long!
There was only one issue... the songs on my ipod have never before seemed so long!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Day 67 (11/13): 7 miles / 59:44
I can't even believe I ran 7 miles in less than an hour! I guess it's time to revamp my thinking when it comes to the times I should be expecting to run...
Whenever I'm gearing up for a long run, I estimate my time based on a 10:00 mile. I don't know why that is... I haven't run a 10:00 mile in some time now. I guess I just have a hard time believing that my times have improved so much over these last few months.
Don't get me wrong... I worked very hard at these 7 miles. When I left the house, I told myself I would take about an hour and 10 minutes to finish (10 minutes a mile). I started out at a comfortable pace and was surprised to see close to 9:00 at the first mile marker. If I continued at that rate, it meant closer to an hour and 3 minutes. I was right on pace through most of the next 4 miles. When I checked my watch at the 5 mile mark, I was surprised to see that, if I put in a little extra effort, I could actually finish in under an hour. It took everything I had in me, but I managed to pull it off... and end up with an average per mile pace of 8:32. I'm not gonna lie - I'm pretty damn impressed with myself.
Now for the big test... how sore am I going to be tomorrow and will my body recover any faster than it did last weekend? I guess we'll just have to wait and see....
Whenever I'm gearing up for a long run, I estimate my time based on a 10:00 mile. I don't know why that is... I haven't run a 10:00 mile in some time now. I guess I just have a hard time believing that my times have improved so much over these last few months.
Don't get me wrong... I worked very hard at these 7 miles. When I left the house, I told myself I would take about an hour and 10 minutes to finish (10 minutes a mile). I started out at a comfortable pace and was surprised to see close to 9:00 at the first mile marker. If I continued at that rate, it meant closer to an hour and 3 minutes. I was right on pace through most of the next 4 miles. When I checked my watch at the 5 mile mark, I was surprised to see that, if I put in a little extra effort, I could actually finish in under an hour. It took everything I had in me, but I managed to pull it off... and end up with an average per mile pace of 8:32. I'm not gonna lie - I'm pretty damn impressed with myself.
Now for the big test... how sore am I going to be tomorrow and will my body recover any faster than it did last weekend? I guess we'll just have to wait and see....
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Day 66 (11/12): 4 miles / 33:37
Another gorgeous fall day! So far, this fall has been a long distance runner's dream! 60 degrees, sun and a nice cool breeze made today's run a pleasant one. And an 8:24 pace made for one I can be proud of.
Today I tried, once again, to focus on the music. My random play list didn't exactly give me my favorite running songs, but it did allow my mind to drift to things other than my lengthy to-do list, all of the Christmas shopping I have to do and the things I hoped to accomplish today. I felt great the entire run and found myself looking forward to tomorrow's challenging 7 miles. With my plan to run outdoors again tomorrow, it will be far different than the 7 miles I ran last weekend on the treadmill... and I'm looking forward to every mile!
Today I tried, once again, to focus on the music. My random play list didn't exactly give me my favorite running songs, but it did allow my mind to drift to things other than my lengthy to-do list, all of the Christmas shopping I have to do and the things I hoped to accomplish today. I felt great the entire run and found myself looking forward to tomorrow's challenging 7 miles. With my plan to run outdoors again tomorrow, it will be far different than the 7 miles I ran last weekend on the treadmill... and I'm looking forward to every mile!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Day 65 (11/10): 5 miles / 47:15
I would call today's run marginal, at best. My legs felt heavy and I had a hard time getting them going. I decided I needed to focus on something else in order to get through all 5 miles. For the first two miles I chose to think about Christmas shopping. I love Christmas and I love shopping, but I always struggle with ideas for the people on my list. Hardest of all to shop for is my husband. I never feel like I'm able to come up with great ideas for him. He's never complained about a single gift, but every year I try to think of something awesome and am never sure I actually achieve it. I have a few ideas this year, but nothing that feels like it will wow him. Of course, I can't even write about those ideas here because my husband may, from time to time, actually read this thing. After 2 miles focused on gift ideas with no real conclusions reached, I decided it was time to move on.
My third mile was the hardest. I couldn't keep my thoughts focused on anything. All I really wanted to do was call it a day and head upstairs to a big bowl of ice cream...
Which brings me to my thoughts for miles 4 and 5... the only thing that kept me going was knowing that the big bowl of ice cream I'd wished for in mile 3 was going to be my reward to myself for running all 5 miles. I imagined what toppings I would choose (caramel syrup for certain) and which ice cream flavor I would go with (which turned out to be Moose Tracks for anyone interested). Of course, all of this would be consumed while watching the conclusion of this week's episode of The Biggest Loser, which I'd failed to see because I'd fallen asleep on the couch while watching it on Tuesday. Thinking about my comfy couch and giant bowl of deliciousness, I have no idea how I managed to finish all 5 miles, but it definitely felt good to sit down and relax when I did.
And, yes, that ice cream was very much worth the wait!
My third mile was the hardest. I couldn't keep my thoughts focused on anything. All I really wanted to do was call it a day and head upstairs to a big bowl of ice cream...
Which brings me to my thoughts for miles 4 and 5... the only thing that kept me going was knowing that the big bowl of ice cream I'd wished for in mile 3 was going to be my reward to myself for running all 5 miles. I imagined what toppings I would choose (caramel syrup for certain) and which ice cream flavor I would go with (which turned out to be Moose Tracks for anyone interested). Of course, all of this would be consumed while watching the conclusion of this week's episode of The Biggest Loser, which I'd failed to see because I'd fallen asleep on the couch while watching it on Tuesday. Thinking about my comfy couch and giant bowl of deliciousness, I have no idea how I managed to finish all 5 miles, but it definitely felt good to sit down and relax when I did.
And, yes, that ice cream was very much worth the wait!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Day 64 (11/8): 4 miles / 33:27
Well today's run was exhausting, which might have something to do with the fact that I ran it a little faster than I intended. I certainly wasn't shooting for a personal best with today's run, but I guess I was just in a hurry to get it over with so that I could get going on tackling my To Do list for the day. With a per mile pace of about 8:22, it would appear I was really in a hurry! As good as it feels to be able to run this kind of pace, I probably should have slowed down a little to enjoy this amazing fall morning... at 10 a.m. it's already over 60 degrees and sunny. Add to that the falling leaves and smell of fresh cut grass and we're talking about a perfect fall day! I probably could have treated myself to a slower jog so I'd have more to talk about than just my time. Oh well... maybe next time :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Day 63 (11/6): 7 miles / 1:05:58
Where do I even begin?...
The idea of running 7 miles on the treadmill was a bit daunting, but it was my only option with my Pittsburgh Steelers fan of a husband in PA for the game. I knew I wouldn't be running until the evening, so I anticipated dreading it all day. It's possible my thoughts were clouded by last night's Frosty Shots with the neighbors, but I really didn't worry too much about it until 8:00 when it was time to actually get on the treadmill and go.
For fear I would burn myself out too quickly, I set the treadmill at 6.2 mph and intended to keep that pace for at least the first half of my run. Apparently that pace agrees with my body and I spent the first mile feeling just about as optimistic as I've ever been during this marathon training journey. I felt good physically and every thought in my head centered around my ability to run this marathon in the spring. It never occurred to me to consider that I was only a mile in... the fact that I was going to run 7 miles today was all it took to renew my faith in my ability to achieve this goal. Miles 3 through 5 were a little harder...
I don't know why, but I have such a hard time setting a pace and sticking with it. I find it necessary to constantly push myself harder and to finish as hard as I can. It's not a bad thing... it's just strange that I can't simply end a run at the same pace at which I started. This run was no different. At about 2.8 miles, I decided to bump up the speed to 6.3, at 3.8 miles it went up to 6.4 and at 4.8 miles it went up to 6.5. From 5.8 miles on, I convinced myself that I could handle anything, so I proceeded to bump up the speed every two-tenths of a mile until the last half mile when I pushed it to every tenth of a mile. Of course, the last two-tenths were an all-out sprint to the finish. When I get to the last half mile of any run, I find myself constantly saying "you can handle anything for five minutes", which just forces me to push that much harder... knowing the end is so near and that, the faster I go, the sooner I reach the finish line. My top speed at the end was 8.0 mph... not bad at the end of a 7 mile run :)
I find myself wondering after every run what an actual trainer would say about my crazy training techniques. I imagine they might not think it was the best idea in the world, but I can tell you of at least one positive side effect I've found... I've found that, after a couple of miles at one consistent pace, my legs occasionally start to cramp. For the most part, cramping of any kind would cause me to temporarily slow down. I believe the change in pace allows your muscles to change their actions just enough to alleviate the cramping. While I never would have considered it before, I believe the same is true when you increase your pace and for the exact same reason. If a repetitive movement causes cramping, changing the movement should help alleviate it. Since there's no other reason to slow the pace down, I'm finding that increasing the pace has had the same effect on alleviating leg cramps. During these 7 miles, every time I increased the speed, it alleviated any minor fatigue and cramping in my legs allowing me to continue on that much longer. Who knows, maybe the insane way I'm choosing to train myself is not so strange after all...
The idea of running 7 miles on the treadmill was a bit daunting, but it was my only option with my Pittsburgh Steelers fan of a husband in PA for the game. I knew I wouldn't be running until the evening, so I anticipated dreading it all day. It's possible my thoughts were clouded by last night's Frosty Shots with the neighbors, but I really didn't worry too much about it until 8:00 when it was time to actually get on the treadmill and go.
For fear I would burn myself out too quickly, I set the treadmill at 6.2 mph and intended to keep that pace for at least the first half of my run. Apparently that pace agrees with my body and I spent the first mile feeling just about as optimistic as I've ever been during this marathon training journey. I felt good physically and every thought in my head centered around my ability to run this marathon in the spring. It never occurred to me to consider that I was only a mile in... the fact that I was going to run 7 miles today was all it took to renew my faith in my ability to achieve this goal. Miles 3 through 5 were a little harder...
I don't know why, but I have such a hard time setting a pace and sticking with it. I find it necessary to constantly push myself harder and to finish as hard as I can. It's not a bad thing... it's just strange that I can't simply end a run at the same pace at which I started. This run was no different. At about 2.8 miles, I decided to bump up the speed to 6.3, at 3.8 miles it went up to 6.4 and at 4.8 miles it went up to 6.5. From 5.8 miles on, I convinced myself that I could handle anything, so I proceeded to bump up the speed every two-tenths of a mile until the last half mile when I pushed it to every tenth of a mile. Of course, the last two-tenths were an all-out sprint to the finish. When I get to the last half mile of any run, I find myself constantly saying "you can handle anything for five minutes", which just forces me to push that much harder... knowing the end is so near and that, the faster I go, the sooner I reach the finish line. My top speed at the end was 8.0 mph... not bad at the end of a 7 mile run :)
I find myself wondering after every run what an actual trainer would say about my crazy training techniques. I imagine they might not think it was the best idea in the world, but I can tell you of at least one positive side effect I've found... I've found that, after a couple of miles at one consistent pace, my legs occasionally start to cramp. For the most part, cramping of any kind would cause me to temporarily slow down. I believe the change in pace allows your muscles to change their actions just enough to alleviate the cramping. While I never would have considered it before, I believe the same is true when you increase your pace and for the exact same reason. If a repetitive movement causes cramping, changing the movement should help alleviate it. Since there's no other reason to slow the pace down, I'm finding that increasing the pace has had the same effect on alleviating leg cramps. During these 7 miles, every time I increased the speed, it alleviated any minor fatigue and cramping in my legs allowing me to continue on that much longer. Who knows, maybe the insane way I'm choosing to train myself is not so strange after all...
Day 62 (11/5): 3 miles / 27:42
After being sidelined by illness once again on Thursday, I was unwilling to give up any more training days because of a stupid cold. Still battling a cough and congestion, I was very uncertain as to how 3 miles would feel, so I decided to play it safe and keep close to home in case I wasn't yet up for a return to running. As it turns out, it was the best I've felt in days and I was so glad I convinced myself to get back on the treadmill when I did. These three miles felt great and I'm suddenly a lot less concerned about tacking tomorrow's 7 miles, even if this cold continues to hang on a little longer... but I'm still hoping that won't be the case since it will be my longest run in many years :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Day 61 (11/2): 5 miles / 46:42
Well, I am most definitely coming down with something...
Even though I didn't feel at the top of my game today, I had an opportunity to run in the afternoon before picking up my son, so I took advantage. It was 68 and sunny today... a great day for a run... but my body wanted no part of it. At first I thought maybe I was just sore from the day before, but after a mile, everything felt like it was hurting more than when I'd started... not at all typical considering I'm usually working out the kinks as I go. Then I realized that it was more that aching cold/flu feeling than it was sore muscles and joints. Of course, this left me two options - call it quits and take it easy on my body until I was feeling better or push through it. Not sure how, but I managed to push through it. Once I passed mile 3, I was glad I did, but looking back on it now, I'm guessing I probably should have taken it easy instead. My pace was a very leisurely 9:20 per mile, which I feel really good about considering how I feel now. I suppose I just bought myself a free day somewhere down the road just for sticking it out when I had a reasonable excuse not to. All there is to do now is get my son to bed and make it an early night for myself.
It's really too bad though... I'd just stopped at the grocery store and there's a six pack of Christmas Ale calling to me from the fridge... it's a shame my bed is so much louder...
Even though I didn't feel at the top of my game today, I had an opportunity to run in the afternoon before picking up my son, so I took advantage. It was 68 and sunny today... a great day for a run... but my body wanted no part of it. At first I thought maybe I was just sore from the day before, but after a mile, everything felt like it was hurting more than when I'd started... not at all typical considering I'm usually working out the kinks as I go. Then I realized that it was more that aching cold/flu feeling than it was sore muscles and joints. Of course, this left me two options - call it quits and take it easy on my body until I was feeling better or push through it. Not sure how, but I managed to push through it. Once I passed mile 3, I was glad I did, but looking back on it now, I'm guessing I probably should have taken it easy instead. My pace was a very leisurely 9:20 per mile, which I feel really good about considering how I feel now. I suppose I just bought myself a free day somewhere down the road just for sticking it out when I had a reasonable excuse not to. All there is to do now is get my son to bed and make it an early night for myself.
It's really too bad though... I'd just stopped at the grocery store and there's a six pack of Christmas Ale calling to me from the fridge... it's a shame my bed is so much louder...
Day 60 (11/1): 3 miles / 26:07
What a glorious run today!...
Oh wait... that's what I was going to write when I considered making up the whole thing because I wasn't at all convinced that I was actually going to run today...
All in all, I had a really great day... and then I was treated to some truly horrible customer service by Time Warner Cable and it was all downhill from there. By the time I stepped on the treadmill, my blood pressure was so high I was concerned it would be a serious health risk to even consider running. It took me several minutes to settle into my pace, but even then I didn't think I was going to do it. It crossed my mind to stop at 1 mile and write about my reasons for quitting early. Then I considered stopping at a mile and lying about it altogether and writing about my pretend 3 mile run. At .95 miles I looked up from the treadmill and told myself that, if I surpassed the 1 mile mark before looking down again, I would need to keep going. And as easy as it would have been to look down, I kept my head up and reminded myself why I was running in the first place. By the time I looked down again, I was at 1.2 miles and well on my way. I decided that, if I was going to stop early, it would have to be for a good reason, otherwise I was going to stick it out until the end.
And stick it out I did. Somewhere around the 2 mile mark I started to get over my frustration and returned my focus back to running. Don't get me wrong, I was still irritated when I finished, but at least I'd been able to blow off a little steam and not let my anger keep me from accomplishing a goal. Funny... there was a time when I would have used just about any excuse to get out of doing something in favor of being lazy... look at me go...
Oh wait... that's what I was going to write when I considered making up the whole thing because I wasn't at all convinced that I was actually going to run today...
All in all, I had a really great day... and then I was treated to some truly horrible customer service by Time Warner Cable and it was all downhill from there. By the time I stepped on the treadmill, my blood pressure was so high I was concerned it would be a serious health risk to even consider running. It took me several minutes to settle into my pace, but even then I didn't think I was going to do it. It crossed my mind to stop at 1 mile and write about my reasons for quitting early. Then I considered stopping at a mile and lying about it altogether and writing about my pretend 3 mile run. At .95 miles I looked up from the treadmill and told myself that, if I surpassed the 1 mile mark before looking down again, I would need to keep going. And as easy as it would have been to look down, I kept my head up and reminded myself why I was running in the first place. By the time I looked down again, I was at 1.2 miles and well on my way. I decided that, if I was going to stop early, it would have to be for a good reason, otherwise I was going to stick it out until the end.
And stick it out I did. Somewhere around the 2 mile mark I started to get over my frustration and returned my focus back to running. Don't get me wrong, I was still irritated when I finished, but at least I'd been able to blow off a little steam and not let my anger keep me from accomplishing a goal. Funny... there was a time when I would have used just about any excuse to get out of doing something in favor of being lazy... look at me go...
Day 59 (10/30): 3 miles / 27:03
... and a more relaxed run it was...
After a very busy day, I was forced to fit in today's run in the evening and indoors. But I really didn't mind. My body felt pretty good considering how hard I pushed myself yesterday, and in less than a half mile, I'd managed to work out the kinks left behind after a serious lack in stretching the day before.
And, as a side note, I have to admit that I love that a 9:01 per mile pace is now what I consider a 'relaxed run'!
And now I get to look forward to the week ahead and the increase in miles on the training schedule. I'm so ready for 7 miles next weekend!!!
After a very busy day, I was forced to fit in today's run in the evening and indoors. But I really didn't mind. My body felt pretty good considering how hard I pushed myself yesterday, and in less than a half mile, I'd managed to work out the kinks left behind after a serious lack in stretching the day before.
And, as a side note, I have to admit that I love that a 9:01 per mile pace is now what I consider a 'relaxed run'!
And now I get to look forward to the week ahead and the increase in miles on the training schedule. I'm so ready for 7 miles next weekend!!!
Day 58 (10/29): 3 miles / 24:27
After Thursday's disappointing run and with another scheduled 3 mile day, I decided I'd give my goal of finishing under 25:00 another try. It was another beautiful day, so I took advantage and ran outdoors. I also thought I'd give running without music another shot. I was exhausted, but what a great run...
I spent every moment of this 24 minutes and 27 seconds filling my head with positive thoughts and encouraging words. It had been a while since I'd had a truly positive-thought-filled run and it felt amazing. I'm thrilled with my 8:09 per mile pace, but even more than that, I'm thrilled to have accomplished my goal today... if I hadn't, I know I'd be shooting for it again tomorrow, so at least I know I can now look forward to a more relaxed run tomorrow :)
I spent every moment of this 24 minutes and 27 seconds filling my head with positive thoughts and encouraging words. It had been a while since I'd had a truly positive-thought-filled run and it felt amazing. I'm thrilled with my 8:09 per mile pace, but even more than that, I'm thrilled to have accomplished my goal today... if I hadn't, I know I'd be shooting for it again tomorrow, so at least I know I can now look forward to a more relaxed run tomorrow :)
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