20 miles down already..

Today, I got to my class a little bit early and pulled out a book to read while I waited for my professor to start class. He noticed the I was reading "The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life" by Amby Burfoot, the winner of the 1968 Boston marathon. Well, he didn't see all of that, but he saw the title and looked at me with a... questioning face, I think. I smiled and told him that I had run another half marathon, because I had talked to him about the first. My professor and I talk about running sometimes, because he was a runner when he was in college and seems like he misses it a little. He always speaks a little nostalgically about running. Anyways, I just thought it was nice that he noticed what I was reading and that we have had some conversations about running.

I've never really thought of myself as a runner before. I still don't really think of myself in that way. Maybe if I finished in the top half of the finishers in the races that I've done or if I had time to run a LOT, I would think of myself as more of a runner. Maybe after I finish this 1000 miles in a year project, I will think of myself as a runner. It's possible. I'm hoping that changes soon, because this is something that I have come to want for myself. It's more than losing weight and building muscle... It's about finding something that I can be good at, something that I have taught myself to improve over time. I'm going to keep working at it. I think of myself as a person who happens to run, but I'd like to think of myself as a runner.

My run was 3.17 miles this evening... again, it was on the treadmill. I've been overwhelmed with school stuff, and haven't run outside... Anyways, today, my run was really intense. I pushed myself harder than I have in a long time- I ran ...a little bit over 10 minute miles. (I actually said to myself... "I don't think that I can finish three miles today...") Now I'm a little bit exhausted... My legs are still a little bit sore from the half marathon and since I'm pushing myself so hard, my legs aren't really repairing from the half as quickly as I would like. The pain isn't as intense as it was a few days ago. I can move around much more easily than I could on Sunday and Monday. I think that my muscles will be better soon. I'm hoping. Hopefully this project isn't just something crazy that's going to break my legs.

I decided that my goal for my next half marathon, whenever that may be, is to run it in 2 hours and 40-45 minutes. If I train hard enough, I think that I'll be able to do it. Maybe someday I'll be able to do it in under two hours, but that's a little bit crazy for a short term goal. That can be my long term goal, as far as right now.

My project is going pretty well, I think. I'm pretty excited that it has gotten so far off the ground already. I've gone over 20 miles in under a week. That's impressive, I think. I'm going to be really excited when I finish my first 100 miles. I've run for the last... 10 months, but I've never really kept track of how many miles I've run. This is really exciting for me.

I've decided that I need to get some better running pants. I got several pairs of shorts over the summer, but as far as pants are concerned, I only have sweats. Maybe I'll invest in some nice running pants with my next check... next week. Maybe having pants made specifically for running will help me be even faster! lol. That will be another step in the process of considering myself a runner. Pretty soon, I may not be able to deny the inevitable... me... a runner. hmm... that's something to think about.

Goal: 1000 mi/365 days
So far: 20.58 mi/5 days
To go: 979.42 mi/360 days