I just completed my 2nd half marathon this morning and I will be honest. I was not happy with how the second half of the race went. I started having really bad cramps in my left calf. I tried everything that I could to help get it to where I didn't have to stop. I had no such luck. I wound up stopping and walking and then running a little bit. After that initial stopping point, that was it. I felt like I was needing to stop every so often and I did. My leg was hurting even when I was walking but I pushed through it. I finished and that is all that counts. Although my finish time was not bad and I still had a personal best, I feel like the goal that I had for myself was too lofty and that I just set myself up for failure.
When I got back to my hotel room and had a chance to sit down, I decided to let my body cool off before getting ready. When I was able to get on Facebook, I saw a comment that my mother in law put up on a photo that I uploaded last night. After reading that, I must admit, I cried a little bit. It made me realize that I was going to have bad runs, today was one of them, but I have to two beautiful kids and a husband that are proud of me no matter what my time is or how many times I might have had to walk because of cramping. It was then that I realized that I put too much focus on the time that I am going to have and not on having fun or just happy that I was given the opportunity to run.
There are numerous things that I could tell you about the race but I think that the most important thing that I can tell you is what I learned. I learned today that no matter the reason that you run, whether it is for competition to win, health reasons or to just finish, that you do it with everything that you have. That whatever you do, you do it with your heart.
I will be honest with you, I spent time in a pity party for myself because I didn't reach my goal. Once I read that comment from my mother in law, everything changed. My family is proud of me for just completely 13.1 miles and they don't care how I finished. Whether I ran the whole time, run/walked or walked the entire thing. I am relieved that is the case because I may just be a middle of the pack runner for as long as I choose to run. You know what? That is ok and I am happy with that. You want to know why? Because God gave me the ability to run and I am thankful for that.
I have another race coming up in a couple of weeks and I am going to try something. I am going to try running with my heart and not worry about anything else. I love to run and that is all that it comes down to for me. I want my kids to see me do something that I love and pushing through even though I am not the best. So until next time.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Almost time!!!
Today I completed my last run before the half marathon Saturday. I did one 3 mile run and worked on my pace Tuesday and today I did a 3 mile tempo run on the dreadmill. I usually try to steer clear of running on it but I really wanted to make sure that I was able to maintain a tempo run and not wind up doing speed work. Which is usually what happens if I go outside.
Now that I have those completed, I just have to wait for Friday to get here so that I am able to go and pick up my packet. I am so excited that I am not able to put it into words but on the flip side I am a little nervous.
Last year I ran and barely beat the time I said I would complete it in. Along the course, I let my mind play tricks with me and I honestly thought I wasn't going to finish. I am afraid I am going to have those same thoughts come back. I know what I need to do but it is easier to say it than to actually do it. I trained for 4 1/2 months for this race and I ran 11 miles for my last long run. That is 3 miles longer than last year. I have put in the training and I just need to learn to trust it.
My biggest issue when running is I tend to let my mind tell my body what to do. Especially when I know I am capable of so much more. That is what I am afraid will happen this time around. Your body hears everything and I need to learn to think more positively. Now that I have totally just spilled everything about how I feel when running, I will share with you what my goals are for this race.
Last year I barely finished under my estimated finish time of 2:45. I came in at 2:43:09 which isn't bad considering I had only started running in April of the same year. This year I estimated to finish in a time that I know see as a lofty goal but you have to have a goal to work toward. Even if it takes more than one time to reach. Just as long as you never give up.
The last long run I did was 10 miles and I finished it in 1 hour 39 minutes and some odd seconds. Almost a 20 minute difference in time from the previous 11 mile run. So I am praying for nice weather for Saturday and if I can run like I did for my 10 mile run I should finish anywhere between 2:10 to 2:15. A difference of 28-33 minute. That would be awesome.
There is something that I will remember when I get ready to run that my dear friend Ken told me Monday night in Zumba. Just do your best. That is the plan and as long as I do my best I will be proud of the outcome.
I am going to take a few pics at the expo to blog about the night before the race and then another one either Saturday or Sunday to share my experience running this time around versus last year's experience. So until next time.
Allow the hiccups and move on
Well, I had a few hiccups last week that prevented me from doing as planned but that is life for you. I ran last Thursday with a friend. I had only planned to run 3 miles with the Mach Tenn Running club but my friend wanted to get in 5 miles so I was like sure why not. Turned out to be a good idea but I will get to that in a minute.
I just took it easy on this run because I have been so paranoid that I will get injured. I had a nice easy 5 mile run and was able to carry on a conversation which I normally can't do. Then here is where the hiccup came along.
A couple of years ago, everyone in my family got the flu and both kids had strep throat as well. I was the only one that lucked out and didn't get the flu. However, I did have it when I was pregnant with my daughter. Since then, we have gotten the flu shot and it usually turns into a family affair. The kids will go to the pediatrician's office and get theirs. Then later that afternoon, Brad and I will go to our local pharmacy to get ours.
Later that night, my daughter Peyton had a slight reaction to the shot. She was running a fever and it seemed to take forever for it to come down. Since she was running a fever, I chose against running Saturday just to make sure she wasn't coming down with something. My husband had to work and I didn't want to risk getting other kids sick if she was contagious and not just having a reaction. (My kids usually stay in the nursery at our local rec center when I run if the hubby works.)
Thankfully, she got to feeling better and was fever free for 24 hours so she could go to church. Unfortunately even though she was feeling better, I was unable to run Sunday because Brad had to work Sunday as well. So at this point, I was very thankful I chose to run 5 miles instead of 3 miles to make sure I got a little bit of a long run done.
Since this post is getting long, I will do another one on my two short runs this week and getting everything together for the race. So until next time.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
9 days & 4 runs
Some of you may be wondering what the heck the title of this post means. Well the first number is the number of days left before the half marathon. I have been waiting for months to say that we are in the single digits. I have been training for this race since April and officially registered in May so it has been a long time coming. As of right now, my team is the largest team for the half marathon with 20+ team members. It is amazing!!! This is all thanks to our team captain. She has done so much to get the team together. Including getting team shirts. She has also been planning to get together the morning of the race for a pre race photo and a prayer before the race. I am very thankful for all her work she has done and for taking the time to allow us to pray for everyone on our team and other runners before the race begins.
The second number in my title is the number of runs that I have left before the actually race. I will be running 3 miles later this evening and probably another 6 miles Saturday. That one is still up in the air. I was wanting to get people together to run with me but I can't seem to get a time together that works for everyone so I was thinking about doing something different. I am thinking about taking tomorrow off from any type of exercising, running 3 miles Saturday and doing 6 miles with the running group on Sunday morning. This is only dependent on whether or not my husband has to work or not on Sunday. It is his scheduled weekend to work and he won't know until either tomorrow or Saturday if he has to work on Sunday so that plan may get a little tweaked. After that, the plan for next week is to do an hour to an hour and a half on the elliptical machine Monday morning.
The reason that I would like to do this is because I have found it easier to push through those hard moments in my run. Not to mention that it is good cross training exercise for runners. So I want to make sure that I am able to do that one day next week since the race is Saturday. The next day I plan to run 3-4 miles and take the next 2 days off from any type of exercising. The plan that I have scheduled for Friday morning is going to kill me to do but I am going to try my best. I plan to walk with a friend and kinda loosen up before the race. Then all I have to do is get the oldest one from school and drop him and baby girl off at their Granny's and then head up to get my packet and check into the hotel.
Now that I have wrote all this out, I have just realized how busy I will be next week. Not to mention those few things that always seem to pop up at the last minute so let's hope that everything goes well. I am so excited about this race and I can't wait to write about how everything went so that I can share it with you. So until next time.
The second number in my title is the number of runs that I have left before the actually race. I will be running 3 miles later this evening and probably another 6 miles Saturday. That one is still up in the air. I was wanting to get people together to run with me but I can't seem to get a time together that works for everyone so I was thinking about doing something different. I am thinking about taking tomorrow off from any type of exercising, running 3 miles Saturday and doing 6 miles with the running group on Sunday morning. This is only dependent on whether or not my husband has to work or not on Sunday. It is his scheduled weekend to work and he won't know until either tomorrow or Saturday if he has to work on Sunday so that plan may get a little tweaked. After that, the plan for next week is to do an hour to an hour and a half on the elliptical machine Monday morning.
The reason that I would like to do this is because I have found it easier to push through those hard moments in my run. Not to mention that it is good cross training exercise for runners. So I want to make sure that I am able to do that one day next week since the race is Saturday. The next day I plan to run 3-4 miles and take the next 2 days off from any type of exercising. The plan that I have scheduled for Friday morning is going to kill me to do but I am going to try my best. I plan to walk with a friend and kinda loosen up before the race. Then all I have to do is get the oldest one from school and drop him and baby girl off at their Granny's and then head up to get my packet and check into the hotel.
Now that I have wrote all this out, I have just realized how busy I will be next week. Not to mention those few things that always seem to pop up at the last minute so let's hope that everything goes well. I am so excited about this race and I can't wait to write about how everything went so that I can share it with you. So until next time.
New Shoes
It is amazing what a new pair of shoes can do for your feet. As I stated in a previous post, I was in desperate need of a new pair of shoes. With my heels hurting to the point that I was walking on my toes like I was wearing invisible high heels, it was definitely time for another pair of shoes. So last Saturday, the kids and I loaded up and headed to Fleet Feet.
This time I remembered to bring my old pair of running shoes so that they were able to see how I wore the shoes when I ran. I learned that I have a neutral stride and I scrape a little bit on my heel. I always thought that I ran heel first. Guess I was wrong.
Anyway, I tried on several different pairs of shoes to try and find the right fit for my plantar fasciitis. The first pair of shoes were close to the same pair of shoes that I have been running in and those were Aesics. For some reason, these hurt when I walked and even worse when I ran. He tried putting in inserts and they still hurt but not quite as bad. The next pair of shoes that I tried on was Brooks Ghost 6. Those were awesome!! They felt the same with and without inserts so I was tickled about that. The last pair of shoes were New Balance. As soon as I put those on and put my foot down, I was like no these are not going to work. I had a sharp pain shoot up my heel and the back of my calf. There was no way that I could wear something like that to run in.
So to make sure I got the right shoes for me, I tried on the Brooks again and ran in those. They felt pretty good and had the same feel without the inserts. So I walked out with a new pair shoes and they have made a huge difference.
Normally when you get a new pair of shoes, you aren't suppose to break in a new pair of shoes with a long run. I have never really been one to really listen to things like that so I ran my long Sunday in them. It was amazing!! The only thing is that I had to stop and stretch my feet out a couple of times. I also did a short run of 3 miles in them a couple of days ago and they are slowly getting broke in. I have to remember to stretch a little bit before I run since they are still a little stiff but other than that, I couldn't be happier.
I honestly never thought that a pair of shoes could make such a huge difference. I am able to walk without much pain on my hardwood floors and with each run, my feet feel better than the last run. I am definitely not steering away from this brand of shoes. They seem to be doing me quite well. So until next time.
This time I remembered to bring my old pair of running shoes so that they were able to see how I wore the shoes when I ran. I learned that I have a neutral stride and I scrape a little bit on my heel. I always thought that I ran heel first. Guess I was wrong.
Anyway, I tried on several different pairs of shoes to try and find the right fit for my plantar fasciitis. The first pair of shoes were close to the same pair of shoes that I have been running in and those were Aesics. For some reason, these hurt when I walked and even worse when I ran. He tried putting in inserts and they still hurt but not quite as bad. The next pair of shoes that I tried on was Brooks Ghost 6. Those were awesome!! They felt the same with and without inserts so I was tickled about that. The last pair of shoes were New Balance. As soon as I put those on and put my foot down, I was like no these are not going to work. I had a sharp pain shoot up my heel and the back of my calf. There was no way that I could wear something like that to run in.
So to make sure I got the right shoes for me, I tried on the Brooks again and ran in those. They felt pretty good and had the same feel without the inserts. So I walked out with a new pair shoes and they have made a huge difference.
Normally when you get a new pair of shoes, you aren't suppose to break in a new pair of shoes with a long run. I have never really been one to really listen to things like that so I ran my long Sunday in them. It was amazing!! The only thing is that I had to stop and stretch my feet out a couple of times. I also did a short run of 3 miles in them a couple of days ago and they are slowly getting broke in. I have to remember to stretch a little bit before I run since they are still a little stiff but other than that, I couldn't be happier.
I honestly never thought that a pair of shoes could make such a huge difference. I am able to walk without much pain on my hardwood floors and with each run, my feet feel better than the last run. I am definitely not steering away from this brand of shoes. They seem to be doing me quite well. So until next time.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Best long run ever!!!
Today was my last long run before my half marathon next weekend. I was hoping to be able to get 12 miles but I had things that I needed to get at the store after my run so I was only able to get in 10 miles. Those 10 miles was the absolute best long run I have had since I have started training for this half.
I wanted to make sure that I would be able to make Sunday School this morning so another friend and I decided to get started around 5:30 or a little after and get in as much as we could before the group started, then meet the group and run what we could with them. So I was able to get in 4.18 miles before and I believe she got 5 miles because she is a little faster than I am. We were able to watch the sunrise while were running. I can't remember the last time that I was able to watch the sunrise and it was beautiful.
The weather when we first got started was quite chilly so I ran with a jacket and even with that on, I was still cold. My hands were going numb and my face was starting to lose all feeling but I enjoyed every minute of it. Being able to be out and doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed was absolutely amazing.
So we got back to the local rec center where the group meets and she wanted to go a little bit further to get in her 5 before and I had to head back to the car. I was getting hot from where I was wearing the jacket during the run and I just had to shed that thing. Plus, I didn't run with my water bottle for the first 4.2 miles and I have learned that I do better when I run with it, if I am going to be going any further
. I am not stopping and going at each water stop and my overall pace has been a lot better.
Everything was going great with this run. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and twice along the route I was blessed to have been able to see several deer. Two of which let me get pretty close to them. I was doing great and then around mile 8 or so I started cramping really bad in my calf and had to stop to stretch it. It was almost as bad as a Charlie horse. It was terrible and I knew there was no way that I could keep running without stopping so I had no other choice but to stop. As much as I hated to, I knew that I had to.
After stopping and stretching, everything was fine. I was able to get my GU gel and then continue on to finish my run out so that I could get to the store. I was really struggling with the last 8/10 of a mile because my feet were really hurting so I was having to stop and stretch my feet. At the roughest part of my run, I looked to my right and there were two deer eating literally just feet away from me. I was just amazed at how beautiful they were. In case you were wondering, yes I did have to stop to take a picture and they just stood there. Didn't seem to get frightened at all. It was amazing. As I continued running, all I could do was thank God for allowing me to see them. It was just what I needed right when I needed it. It gave me that extra boost that I needed to keep going.
My overall pace for this 10 mile run was 3 seconds faster per mile than my last 10 mile run. Another thing that amazed me was that there was about a 19 minute difference in time from last week's 11 mile run. 19 minutes!!! Which means if the weather stays cool and I keep doing good with my new shoes, I should be able to finish with a great time and PR by a little over half hour. How awesome is that?!?!
I mentioned that I got new shoes earlier. Last week after my 11 mile run, my feet were hurting so bad that when I took off my shoes I was walking on my tiptoes. Like I was wearing invisible high heels. Talk about painful. I kinda dismissed that until they were still hurting Tuesday and then began to hurt a mile into my run on Wednesday. I knew then it was time to get new shoes so yesterday I went and got some. I got a different brand than what I was using and they are AWESOME!!!
So in 13 days I will be running my half and will be able to write all of you and let you know how it went. I am so excited that I get to share this experience with you and hope that you will be checking back after the 28th to hear how it went. Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog and supporting me. So until next time.
I wanted to make sure that I would be able to make Sunday School this morning so another friend and I decided to get started around 5:30 or a little after and get in as much as we could before the group started, then meet the group and run what we could with them. So I was able to get in 4.18 miles before and I believe she got 5 miles because she is a little faster than I am. We were able to watch the sunrise while were running. I can't remember the last time that I was able to watch the sunrise and it was beautiful.
The weather when we first got started was quite chilly so I ran with a jacket and even with that on, I was still cold. My hands were going numb and my face was starting to lose all feeling but I enjoyed every minute of it. Being able to be out and doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed was absolutely amazing.
So we got back to the local rec center where the group meets and she wanted to go a little bit further to get in her 5 before and I had to head back to the car. I was getting hot from where I was wearing the jacket during the run and I just had to shed that thing. Plus, I didn't run with my water bottle for the first 4.2 miles and I have learned that I do better when I run with it, if I am going to be going any further
. I am not stopping and going at each water stop and my overall pace has been a lot better.
Everything was going great with this run. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and twice along the route I was blessed to have been able to see several deer. Two of which let me get pretty close to them. I was doing great and then around mile 8 or so I started cramping really bad in my calf and had to stop to stretch it. It was almost as bad as a Charlie horse. It was terrible and I knew there was no way that I could keep running without stopping so I had no other choice but to stop. As much as I hated to, I knew that I had to.
After stopping and stretching, everything was fine. I was able to get my GU gel and then continue on to finish my run out so that I could get to the store. I was really struggling with the last 8/10 of a mile because my feet were really hurting so I was having to stop and stretch my feet. At the roughest part of my run, I looked to my right and there were two deer eating literally just feet away from me. I was just amazed at how beautiful they were. In case you were wondering, yes I did have to stop to take a picture and they just stood there. Didn't seem to get frightened at all. It was amazing. As I continued running, all I could do was thank God for allowing me to see them. It was just what I needed right when I needed it. It gave me that extra boost that I needed to keep going.
The beautiful deer that greeted me this morning!!!
I mentioned that I got new shoes earlier. Last week after my 11 mile run, my feet were hurting so bad that when I took off my shoes I was walking on my tiptoes. Like I was wearing invisible high heels. Talk about painful. I kinda dismissed that until they were still hurting Tuesday and then began to hurt a mile into my run on Wednesday. I knew then it was time to get new shoes so yesterday I went and got some. I got a different brand than what I was using and they are AWESOME!!!
So in 13 days I will be running my half and will be able to write all of you and let you know how it went. I am so excited that I get to share this experience with you and hope that you will be checking back after the 28th to hear how it went. Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog and supporting me. So until next time.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Always learning something new
After my long run Sunday, my feet were still killing me by Tuesday so I decided that I would try something different. I have always heard that the elliptical machine is good cross training for runners so I thought I would see how that went. Wanted to try it before the race to see if there was a difference in running performance.
So Tuesday morning after I dropped my oldest off at school, I dropped my baby girl off in the nursery and went upstairs. I got started and there were times that I struggled but I wasn't about to let myself stop for one of two reasons. Reason #1 I ran 13.1 miles pretty much nonstop except for through the water stations for 2 hours and 43 minutes last year. Surely I can do an hour on this stupid machine. Reason #2 I am not going to quit and let everyone see that I couldn't finish what I started. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
So I kept trucking on for what seemed like the most boring hour I have ever done but it did make a big difference when running Wednesday. I wanted to get in a few miles before heading to church to cook. I was able to get in 3 quick miles but I learned a lot in those 3 quick miles. Besides learning that I needed a new pair shoes, I was able to push myself further than what I normally do. When I got tired, I just kept making myself think that I was on the elliptical machine and that I knew I could push through this. Which is what I did. Once I got back to the rec center, I was tired but not quite as tired as I would have been. I was proud that I had finally learned a way to push through the fatigue that my legs felt and make myself keep going. I always know that I have it in me to run further and a little faster than what I think I can. That is why when I can't do that, I am always so hard on myself for not doing better.
I honestly can't say that I have ever been so happy of a simple 3 mile run than I was on Wednesday. learned so much just from a few miles. So if you run and struggle with pushing yourself past your comfort zone when your feeling tired, try doing the elliptical machine for a little bit and see if you see a difference. I know I did and if you do, I would love to hear about your experience. I would definitely let you know how my last long run goes and keep you updated on how the half goes. So until next time.
So Tuesday morning after I dropped my oldest off at school, I dropped my baby girl off in the nursery and went upstairs. I got started and there were times that I struggled but I wasn't about to let myself stop for one of two reasons. Reason #1 I ran 13.1 miles pretty much nonstop except for through the water stations for 2 hours and 43 minutes last year. Surely I can do an hour on this stupid machine. Reason #2 I am not going to quit and let everyone see that I couldn't finish what I started. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
So I kept trucking on for what seemed like the most boring hour I have ever done but it did make a big difference when running Wednesday. I wanted to get in a few miles before heading to church to cook. I was able to get in 3 quick miles but I learned a lot in those 3 quick miles. Besides learning that I needed a new pair shoes, I was able to push myself further than what I normally do. When I got tired, I just kept making myself think that I was on the elliptical machine and that I knew I could push through this. Which is what I did. Once I got back to the rec center, I was tired but not quite as tired as I would have been. I was proud that I had finally learned a way to push through the fatigue that my legs felt and make myself keep going. I always know that I have it in me to run further and a little faster than what I think I can. That is why when I can't do that, I am always so hard on myself for not doing better.
I honestly can't say that I have ever been so happy of a simple 3 mile run than I was on Wednesday. learned so much just from a few miles. So if you run and struggle with pushing yourself past your comfort zone when your feeling tired, try doing the elliptical machine for a little bit and see if you see a difference. I know I did and if you do, I would love to hear about your experience. I would definitely let you know how my last long run goes and keep you updated on how the half goes. So until next time.
11 mile long run
Well looks like this post will be split into two separate ones because it will be long since I have not posted a blog in a few weeks and I apologize for that. It seems that we stay pretty busy and my husband has had some issues with his truck so we have been preoccupied. I have been able to get a few runs in so I will tell you how those went.
Sunday I met up with the running group that I have been telling you about. The course was set out to run 10 miles but since my first race is Sept. 28 I needed to run 11. So I decided to add another mile like I usually do when I need to get more in than the group is running. Everything started out great and I ran with another lady for about 3 miles and we chatted off and on. I am definitely not one of those runners that can carry on a full blown conversation with someone else but it was nice to talk when we could.
Then a little further down we split ways and ran out our own pace. This long run seemed a little easier to me. I don't know if it was because I was not having to stop as much because I carried a water with me that slides on your hand when you run. I did great up until about 5 miles when I stopped to get GU gel. I struggled a little bit to get my momentum back up and there was a good half a mile of uphill so stopping and starting back is rough when you turn right around and go up a hill for a solid half a mile. Regardless of how long it took a minute to get started, I still made it up the hill.
After the hill, we had to make another turn and I did pretty good but I could tell that my legs were starting to get fatigued and to be able to finish 11 miles I was really going to have to work for it.
This next part is funny to me now but not on Sunday. I wind up running by myself for most of the run and with the course bring mapped out I still felt as though I was lost. I turned around and went back the way I came. Then when I got to one of the side roads, I realized that I wouldn't have gotten lost so, at the time, I didn't know how far my run was actually going to be. To be honest around 9.5 miles, I actually thought about calling my husband to come and get me. Then I remembered that his truck was at his Momma's since he was working on it the day before. After I realized that, I thought to myself that there was no way that I could have him come and pick me up even if he could have. I would have felt like a quitter and that would have bothered me all week so I kept trucking on. It was slow but I didn't give up.
When I reached mile 10, I really had some major doubts that I would be able to make it. After stopping a couple of times, I even gave myself a pep talk. In case you were wondering, yes it was out loud and yes I did answer myself. Lucky for me, no one was around to hear or see that. :) I literally had to gather what last bit of strength I had to just be able to finish the 3/4 of a mile I had left but I did. I can honestly say after that long run, I have never been so happy to see our local rec center in my life!!!
I have finished yet another long run. This one makes me going 3 miles past what I went last year in training. So even though it may not be the fastest right now, I feel better equipped for it this year and I have only one more "long" run of 12 miles before race day!!! I will do six miles the weekend prior to the race. So until next time.
Sunday I met up with the running group that I have been telling you about. The course was set out to run 10 miles but since my first race is Sept. 28 I needed to run 11. So I decided to add another mile like I usually do when I need to get more in than the group is running. Everything started out great and I ran with another lady for about 3 miles and we chatted off and on. I am definitely not one of those runners that can carry on a full blown conversation with someone else but it was nice to talk when we could.
Then a little further down we split ways and ran out our own pace. This long run seemed a little easier to me. I don't know if it was because I was not having to stop as much because I carried a water with me that slides on your hand when you run. I did great up until about 5 miles when I stopped to get GU gel. I struggled a little bit to get my momentum back up and there was a good half a mile of uphill so stopping and starting back is rough when you turn right around and go up a hill for a solid half a mile. Regardless of how long it took a minute to get started, I still made it up the hill.
After the hill, we had to make another turn and I did pretty good but I could tell that my legs were starting to get fatigued and to be able to finish 11 miles I was really going to have to work for it.
This next part is funny to me now but not on Sunday. I wind up running by myself for most of the run and with the course bring mapped out I still felt as though I was lost. I turned around and went back the way I came. Then when I got to one of the side roads, I realized that I wouldn't have gotten lost so, at the time, I didn't know how far my run was actually going to be. To be honest around 9.5 miles, I actually thought about calling my husband to come and get me. Then I remembered that his truck was at his Momma's since he was working on it the day before. After I realized that, I thought to myself that there was no way that I could have him come and pick me up even if he could have. I would have felt like a quitter and that would have bothered me all week so I kept trucking on. It was slow but I didn't give up.
When I reached mile 10, I really had some major doubts that I would be able to make it. After stopping a couple of times, I even gave myself a pep talk. In case you were wondering, yes it was out loud and yes I did answer myself. Lucky for me, no one was around to hear or see that. :) I literally had to gather what last bit of strength I had to just be able to finish the 3/4 of a mile I had left but I did. I can honestly say after that long run, I have never been so happy to see our local rec center in my life!!!
I have finished yet another long run. This one makes me going 3 miles past what I went last year in training. So even though it may not be the fastest right now, I feel better equipped for it this year and I have only one more "long" run of 12 miles before race day!!! I will do six miles the weekend prior to the race. So until next time.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Killing two birds with one stone
As the title states, I am going to kill two birds with one stone with this post. As stated in my previous post, I did hill work on Friday and then planned to run 10 miles on Sunday with the running club that I have been running with for about a month. I honestly thought that doing hill work on Friday wouldn't really bother me when I got ready to do my long run on Sunday.
I couldn't have been more wrong!!! I was only able to get 6.5 miles in and I struggled to get that in. I just could not pick my legs up due to the tiredness I felt from doing hill work on Friday. After talking with a friend that was finishing up her run, I decided it was best to head in as to avoid risking injury. I was already struggling to get in 6.5 and was lacking 3.5 so I can only imagine what damage could have been done to my body if I pushed through it. I know there are times that you can push through and my body was telling me to stop and rest.
Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed because I didn't meet my goal. Then I quickly reminded myself that is why you train. You find out what works best for you and what doesn't. It is obvious that running hill sprints on a Friday doesn't work for me. On the weeks that I do these particular runs, I will need to do them on a Tuesday or Wednesday where I am able to take several days to recover.
Now on to today's run. I have heard several benefits of doing a tempo run when training for a half marathon or marathon. Basically a tempo run is where you run slower than your race pace. I am 25 days and counting away from running my first half marathon for the year and I have yet to incorporate these types of runs into my training plan. I have done speed work, hill sprints and short and long runs but no tempo. After the way my run went Sunday, I thought I would give it a shot.
I had asked a friend of mine if she was running today and was going to join her if she was. Since she has had a couple days to rest she planned to go a little further and I thought I would go as far as I could with her. Well, my ambition got the best of me. I pushed to go as far as she did and I did what I could. I also did something that I rarely let myself do because I have always felt like a failure for doing so. I have always wanted to run an entire distance even if I was really slow but today I allowed myself to walk. I just paused my run and walked.
To be honest, I was disappointed in myself for walking and then I got to looking around. At that moment I realized that everytime I have stepped out the front door to run, I have always gotten so into my runs that I never actually took the time to enjoy where I was running. And you know what? I did that today and even though my time was not anywhere near where I would have liked for it to be, I thoroughly enjoyed my run. Seeing all of God's creation and realizing I have never stopped to smell the roses sorta speak. It was AMAZING!!! It was like I was given a new pair of eyes and was seeing for the first time. I honestly don't think I have ever saw everything around me like that before.
I am telling you this because I am wondering when was the last you stopped to smell the roses and enjoy everything around you? Taking in all of God's creation. I do believe that when I lace up again it will be different. So until next time.
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