I have two runs to update y'all on.
Friday I logged 4 miles in the rain! Well technically only 2 of those 4 miles was in the rain, but still. I ran right after work on Riverside. I parked my car at 41st as usual and decided to take off southbound for a change (big mistake). I knew it was supposed to rain, but I was determined to get my run in anyway. I ran south for 2 miles before turning around, and I was kicking myself for doing this on the way back to the car. I was having a miserable time around the 1 mile mark; my legs were heavy, my knee was hurting, and I was wondering how I could possibly be more miserable. Well I got my answer when I hit 2 miles and turned around to head northbound. Mother nature is a biatch! It began to rain a little and the wind picked up out of the north around 15 mph. Another 1/2 mile later it was raining sheets and I was drenched from head to toe. It was 50 degrees, but it felt like 20 with my wet clothes and the wind. I was cursing myself for not sticking closer to the car. Now I had no choice but to finish the run in the rain while freezing my tush off. This proved to be a good thing however; had I stuck closer to the car, I never would've finished my mileage in that weather. I was pretty proud of the fact that I kept on going, but really I had no choice. The stats for this run aren't particularly earth shattering; 4 miles, 58:07, 14'27" average. The takeaway from this run is that I can get my mileage in no matter what the weather holds. Yes I was miserable, but I did it.........
Sunday I was faced with my long run after only putting in one short run since my 6 miler last Wednesday. I decided to skip one of my short runs this week so I could get back on schedule with my long runs on the weekend. The sun is going down far too early for me to get those long runs in after a full work day. My legs were feeling sluggish all day so I was playing the mind game with myself before I even got started on this 7 mile run. I got all my stretching in and took off on the trail southbound into the wind. Oh my goodness it was windy! I hate running in the wind, it just sucks. It was nice to turn around and go northbound though; it felt like the wind was literally pushing me forward. At the 2 mile mark I stopped back by the car for some water and I just wanted to quit right there. My breathing was fine, but my legs were not cooperating. The pain in my shins was borderline unbearable and got only marginally better when I took walking breaks. I did not quit! I got some water and headed back out on the trail, continuing northbound. I ran a little over 1 mile in that direction and then turned around to head back to the car for some more water. When I reached the car this time I had less than 3 miles to go. I realized that my legs were feeling better and I just might be able to do this. Maybe I just needed to get warmed up? I took off again, this time southbound so I could finish with the wind at my back. This 2.5 mile stretch wasn't bad, save for the fact that around mile 6 my feet were super sore. First time that has happened to me on a run. Guess the increased mileage really does affect the body. I am finding all sorts of new things when I increase my mileage. Such as the fact that my neck and back were killing me last night (guess I was super tense the entire time). Aches and pains aside, I finished, albeit very slowly. My average pace for this run was 15'22" for a total time of 1:47:56, and I'm okay with that. My last 3 miles were super slow and took a toll on my average, but I never would've finished if I hadn't slowed down.
My goal for the half marathon is to finish in 3 hours and 15 minutes. That will require a 14'53" average over 13.1 miles. Judging by my 7 mile performance yesterday, I might not hit the 3:15 mark. But then again, who knows. There are still 34 days of training before November 24th.
I saw a quote this morning that was perfect:
"Acknowledge all of your small victories. They will eventually add up to something great." - Kara Goucher
The small victory here is that I ran 7 miles. I didn't do it quickly, but I did it. Enough said!
MIND OVER MATTER
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