Monday, January 17, 2011

The Bad, Good, and the Great

The Bad
On Saturday, I set out to run 8 miles in the misty rain. This was the first time I'd ever even attempted to run 8 miles. I'd been a little bit nervous about it all week. I ate a Clif bar, drank a little bit of water and was on my way. At about mile 2, my stomach was reeling. I decided to turn around and run home. I can't remember the last time that I'd just given up and turned around. I started walking towards home wishing for a miracle port-a-potty. After awhile, I stopped and sat on the curb to see if that would make me feel better. I could feel the color draining out of my face. I got up, and started walking again. Then I ran the rest of the way home, and felt much better once I reached home. I felt pretty defeated, but decided I would try again on Sunday.

The Good
I didn't go running until about 11 on Sunday afternoon. I have found that I run better in the evenings and midday. It gives me enough time to consume calories. I set out with a strong mind, and 1 Clif Block Shot. The plan was to run a 5 mile loop passing by my house, and then another 3 mile loop. I would stop and take a drink at my house. I had set a water bottle out at the curb. I didn't feel very tired during the run. After 5 miles, I felt refreshed enough for the quick 3 mile run. I was proud of my time, and finished in 1:19:03. My goal was 1:20:00. As I'm increasing my mileage my pace is staying the same. I'm trying to stay under 10 minute miles. Next weekend, I'm slated to run 10 miles! We shall see!

The Great
Today, I was scheduled to run a 3 mile run. I had coffee and Chex cereal before my run. I love that 3 miles feels easy. I wouldn't categorize myself as a runner, and to finally be able to say that 3 miles is easy is a big personal achievement. I took Barley on my run, and he slows me down a bit. I ran 3 miles in 27:56. I think without him, I would've been able to do it in 27. I even had some juice left in me to sprint the last block.
How could you say no to this face?

I've been running since 2006, and I never thought that I would be able to run over 3 miles. For the past several years, I would stop at 3 and never set any goals beyond that. Jennie inspired me to run my first 10K in November. Then she roped me in to sign up for my very first 1/2 marathon at the end of February! Thank you Jennie, for inspiring me to do things I never thought that I could.

4 comments:

  1. You're gonna be great! Just keep truckin' along! And yes, isn't it crazy how quickly you can think, "Yeah, I mean, it was ONLY 3 miles". Dude, 3 miles is far! Congrats and good luck!

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  2. No, Nat, thank you.

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  3. LOTS of luck to you...my hubby just finished his first marathon last month. It was a TRULY inspiring moment for both of us. The marathon community is amazing!! I am sure we will be sporting the 26.2 sticker soon!

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  4. I am so proud of all you're doing! Keep it up!

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