Hey - on the upside this post isn't about my class but it is about running...
At the beginning of the year (well, really over winter break) I had a heart to heart with myself about where I want to go and what I want to do with my life this year. So much of the past three years has been about finishing school and getting a job, and really, so much of the years before that was about raising the kids and focusing outward that I hadn't given it much thought. One thing about having an empty nest is that one does get to do a fair amount of thinking and reflecting if so inclined. One can also do a fair amount of playing Candy Crush Saga... but I digress.
In the course of that conversation with myself - and again, those of you that know me know that talking to myself is something I do almost as well as talking out loud - I came to some pretty tough conclusions. I have not taken my training as seriously as I could have, I have been upset with my lack of results but not my lack of effort, and, I'm really just in need of a change. Sure, I had been running races but I hadn't really been training for them (and then the stress fracture gave me an extra detour). I had lost a little weight but not anywhere what I would want to see. I felt pretty good about myself but not as great as I could. There were just a lot of buts in that self-conversation but the biggest one was the one I was sitting on while having that internal debate. So, I decided that 2014 was going to be my year to kick my buts (and my butt) to the curb. I signed up to do a 30-day arm challenge, I signed up to do the Bikini Body Mommy challenge and I began signing up for races. I asked for a FitBit for Christmas. I pledged to do the 100 days of miles. Now admittedly I've done some of those things before and I know that countless others jump on the New Year's Bandwagon and pledge right along too. But here I am, 30 days in and still going strong. But it IS the mental piece that will keep me going strong and to do that I have to have mental PEACE.
Last night my mom invited us over for breakfast this morning at 9:30am. I decided that was perfect because I'd get up and get 5 or 6 miles in running over to her house. My eager brain had a hard time shutting down last night and by the time my alarm went off this morning I was almost as eager to talk myself out of it. That negative thinking started in. That rationalizing, justifying, excuse making person that I can't stand in myself decided to make an appearance. "You can sleep an extra 45 minutes, and then just do the 2 miles to their house and then go for another run later", "It looks cold so maybe just do a workout tape and take Tank for a walk" or "You've had a long week, your body needs the rest" tried to creep in. I told those thoughts that they needed to go and got up and got dressed and headed out the door. But even then they tried another tactic, "5-6 miles is a good length but you should probably walk it so that you're not too tired or stinky when you get there" and "Your knees have been kind of sore, maybe you should save the running for when you're thinner". Those sounded like some pretty good reasons but still I persevered. I wasn't quite sure what route I wanted to take to get me my necessary distance and so I started out and decided to make it up as I went.
I walked most of the first mile because, while I didn't want to give in to the negative voices, the pain in my knees has been real and I have been learning (despite the voices that have told me ' a warmup will just tire you out') that in fact, a little warmup isn't the worst thing in the world. When I hit the first mile it was a 16:45 minute mile (take into the account there was a light I had to wait for and I did stop to take a picture of the two pileated woodpeckers that were having a pecking party on the telephone pole). The competitor in me started to come out and I decided to see if I could turn my negative thinking into negative splits. (For those of you not familiar with negative splits, it's when you run a mile faster than the one before.) I figured it wasn't going to be all that difficult from there because the first one had been pretty slow. I mixed running with walking for the second mile to really start warming up. By the third mile I felt pretty good and was loping along. By mile 4 I was feeling really good but hoping that I still had far enough to go that I'd make my 5 mile goal distance. That 4th mile was a decent pace for me, especially considering it was the 4th mile and I should be starting to feel a little tired. When I heard my time I seriously questioned whether I'd be able to run another negative split for the 5th mile. I picked up my pace a little more. I was getting closer to my parents' house and was worried about the distance so took a detour down a long side street. At the end of that street my Fitbit signified I'd hit my 10000 steps which is pretty close to 5 miles. Another 100 meters or so and my GPS told me I'd hit mile 5, AND that final negative split. I slowed to a jog and then a walk for the last quarter mile up the road to their house. I was SO happy (still am) that I'd put aside the excuses and just done it. I learned some other things too:
Jelly Belly Fruit Punch Sports Beans don't taste great after brushing your teeth but 7 of them are enough to sustain me on a 5 mile run.
Taking those 2 ibuprofen before the run did wonders for the knees and body.
People don't know how to drive in the daylight either.
Runners are, for the most part, family - it was nice to say or wave hello to the other few out there this morning.
I REALLY hate waiting for stoplights but am a stickler for crossing at crosswalks and with the signal to make sure I'm safe (or at least 'in the right' should I get hit).
Hills are getting easier but 228th is still my nemesis - when I can rock that from the bottom to Brier Rd, I'll truly feel like a runner.
I can do more than I think I can and I can't wait to see what that looks like.
And for those of you that are by the numbers people:
Mile 1 - 16:45min/mile
Mile 2 - 14:15 min/mile
Mile 3 - 13:51 min/mile
Mile 4 - 12:56 min/mile
Mile 5 - 11:37 min/mile
(and a plus .4 mile cool down for a total of 5.4 miles at an average 14:02 min/mile pace - my goal is consistent 13 min/mile pace for my upcoming 15k and 12k races so I'm on my way)
I am trying to control the wild thoughts that run through my brain but I love the the thoughts I have while running wild. Until next time...
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