Long Run Day and Retiring My Shoes (ending week six)

Today was long run day! My favorite day of the week (or not so much). The plan was to get up early so that I wouldn't have to run alone, but I ended up at work three hours late last night and didn't get home until after two in the morning. I knew I wouldn't be able to get up early for a run. Disappointing. So I had to run when it was already pretty hot out. ..On top of that, I ended up running alone.

I felt really awesome for the first mile. When I knew I was at the first mile marker, I was actually surprised with how little struggle I was going through. I felt like I could definitely finish out the last thirteen miles. haha. I actually didn't really struggle too much until I got about halfway through. I still had a really awesome pace until the tenth mile. After that, I really started to slow down. I actually almost slowed down one minute per mile. It was a little bit frustrating, but that's whatever.

At about mile ten, I started to feel like I was hitting the wall. I had run completely out of energy gels at that point and was just ready to give up. Actually, I REALLY wanted to give up. That only lasted for a mile or so and I was back on track. I felt really good ending the run, too.

I've never actually run 14 miles outside of a race before. Crazy.
It was good though.

In other news, today was the official last day of running with my current shoes. I'm getting some new ones on Tuesday before my four miler. I'm excited, but sad. These shoes have given me lots and lots of miles and many races in the past few months. It is also beyond time to get new shoes. My feet are a little achy.

So the shoes are going into retirement. I wish I knew what to do with old running shoes. I could donate them, but I feel kind of attached to them after all of this time. It's tough to let go. Haha. I sound ridiculous.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 431.41 miles/211 days
To go: 568.59 miles/155 days

Chicago Training: Days 12, 13, 14

Once again: decent runner, terrible blogger. Oops.

I'm still working on the training thing. haha. It's a little crazy how excited I am about my ridiculous tan lines. I'm pretty sure I haven't had this crazy of a tan since right after my senior year of high school when I played softball and went to the lake all summer. I just need to get to the pool sometime so even out my lines a little bit.

Today, Katherine and I did a long run. 11 miles. I slept later than I wanted to, unfortunately, so I started my run later than I had intended. That may have been a little bit stupid, because it was pretty hot out, but I really just want to get my body accustomed to running in the heat so that I can do it during a race if I need to. I took it pretty slow today. I'd say that I almost was too slow. I'm a little disappointed in my pace, but at least we went out there and finished it. It was a pretty rough run. Extremely.

We ended up walking a lot and our water got really hot, which was awful. But we did persevere and finish. Well, I think that I ended up with about a mile longer than Kath, because she went home before me. It was fun, though. I'm getting really excited about my training. I'm pretty nervous about Chicago, but I think that I will be okay. I just need to start working on my pace. I think that I need a goal finishing time, but I'm not sure what that should be.

and quickly...
Training days 12 & 13 were good! Day 12 was a 6 mile run that ended up a little over 6 and a half. We went in the morning on the 4th, whih was fun! I was glad that Katherine was off so that we could run together. Day 13 was a quick run in the early afternoon. I ran 4 miles before I went to meet a friend for lunch and finish up birthday shopping for Kath. It was a pretty easy run.

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I've also been thinking more about how, eventually, I'd like to try a tri. I really need to start saving up for a nice bike. I have my spin bike that I love, but I do also need to be able to train outdoors. The bike that I have now is functional, but not great.
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Tomorrow is a 6 miler! Woo hoo!

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 324.93 miles/189 days
To go: 675.07 miles/177 days

Finishing out week TWO: Days 9 and 10

I've been doing okay at my running, but terrible at my blogging about it. Oops!

My work schedule has been a little different this week than the past few weeks. I've been working a lot more during the day and not at night, which makes it a little tough. I LOVE running during the day, when it is beautiful outside. Running at night creeps me out a little bit, although it is a little cooler out. It's a give and take, I guess.

Anyways, so instead of running before work, I've been running after work, which has been pretty intense. I'm trying not to overexert myself. At the same time, I don't want to miss any training runs unless I really need to. It just is really difficult to time manage.. and I know that it is going to get worse. School starts again in a month and a half. (right about at the time when training is really going to kick up.)

...I'm getting really overwhelmed.

It has been crazy hot out for a week or so. (ever since the week of rain ended. ...I complain too much.) So I've been running at an extremely slow pace. Extremely. Is snail crawl a pace? ha. I'm kidding. A little. I have SO many races to think about, which I love. I'm just so overwhelmed. Starting Labor Day weekend, I literally have at least one race a month until... January (unless I decide to do the Princess again next year. That's probably ...a 70% chance). That feels intense to me. Add school, plus I REALLY need a full time job. ...it all feels like a lot right now.

I'm a decent time manager. I just have to prioritize my "free" time in order to get important things accomplish. (that is a task that I am working on... and slowly improving.)

I ran 9 miles today. It was really tough at first, but I got into it at about mile 3 or so. Then I did pretty well. I cut a few minutes off of my 9 miler from last week. I think I'm doing okay. I just wish I was doing better. I know that there is definitely room for improvement. Always.

My long run for week three is 11 miles. Kath and I have planned out our route and everything. We're going to run to Panera and back! I'm excited.

(shout out to Megi for being encouraging while I had a brief freak out about everything to do with running. I love having friends that run.)

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 299.1 miles/184 days
To go: 700.9 miles/182 days

(p.s. OMG. 299?! I should've thrown in an extra mile for good measure!)

January Recap: 110 miles!

I suppose it's time for a January recap, considering that tomorrow is February. (already? are you KIDDING me? Time certainly flies...) First though, a little discussion of today's run. :)

Today, Katherine and I went for a run. Sort of. She had some pain from a run she had yesterday and didn't really disclose how much pain she was really in. (actually, I think she was injured during the Disney half marathon at the beginning of the month and it hasn't 100% healed yet.) About a half mile into it, I really started to notice that her stride was a little limpy and, for someone who is generally much faster than I am, she stopped to stretch and had trouble catching back up to me. I felt really bad for her. :( This time, we ran at her pace instead of mine, because generally she runs way slower than her pace in order to run with me. At mile 2(ish), we stopped for some more stretching, and talked about whether or not we should finish all 6 miles that we had planned on doing. We decided to trudge along with the intention of turning around if it came to that. We went a little bit slower than  we generally do when we run together, and incorporated more walking, but hey, what can you do? Anything for a friend. She's spent too many days running at my pace.

We were going to try to get 4 miles in, but continued past it, walking more than usual. Toward the end, I started to feel a little tight in my hip. Ugh. Frustrating. We were quite a pair.

Anyways, we ended up getting back to the apartment at about 6.40 miles, according to the Garmin, and I decided I'd keep going for a little while. I was shooting for 7, but still felt like I had it in me to continue after that. I ended up finishing with 8.15 miles today, which was pretty incredible. It was slow but fun.

So that brings my total to:
So far: 110.06 miles/31 days
To go: 889.94 miles/335 days

Are you KIDDING ME? One Hundred TEN miles in a month. Holy cow, I am well on my way to 1000 miles this year. Yes! So excited.

January races:

• Disney Family Fiesta 5k
• so fun! and slow! stopped for lots of photos. didn't care about time
• Walt Disney World Half Marathon
• super fun, raced with my mom, sister, and best friend. can't get better than that.
• Walt Disney World Marathon
• exhausting and tough, but well worth it. marathons are more mental than physical
• Dick Batchelor Run for the Children 5k
• fun race, PR by maybe 2 seconds, but no official time

Here's to an awesome February!

trying to keep my spirit high.

Today was going to be a long run: 8-9 miles. I ended up feeling good enough to run 10 miles, which was fantastic. I brought two waters bottles (I really need a running backpack. There's nothing more awkward than carrying two waters while running!), three energy gels (I only used one), and I used my brand new compression socks. They are hot pink and I love them. I was going to take a picture of them when I got home, but alas, I am sick and a running outfit photo will have to wait.

Like I said, I'm sick. Really. The last thing that I need right now is a germ attack. I am all sorts of congested and my nose is runny and sneezy. I'm a little miserable.

I have a 5k tomorrow morning. I'm excited! I'm hoping to finish in a new record time (which won't be hard, considering I haven't run many 5ks), AND I'm hoping I won't be sick anymore. Fingers crossed.

Here's a telling quote that I feel like I can relate to quite a bit:

"The human body can do so much. Then the heart and the spirit must take over." -Sohn Kee-chung

So far: 91.99 miles/27 days
To go: 908.01 miles/339 days

first long run since my marathon

Today was my first long run since the marathon. I guess I classify "long" as more than 6 miles or so. Today, I planned to run 7-8 miles or so. The part that I didn't anticipate was the struggle of it all. I was ready for a decently paced long(ish) run that wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

I brought a bunch of stuff with  me in preparation for today. I had two Gu gels, a bottle of water (small enough to fit in my hand), and my running belt that I use during races. It was a handful. I wish it was easy to run with a small backpack, because I'd be able to carry everything that I needed. I know that such bags to exist and maybe I should invest in one if I want to spend more time running this year (as is the goal). I plan to take many more long runs, so maybe a small bag would be something to invest in, I don't know. Maybe I could get more running pants that have pockets or something, I'm not sure. I think I'd rather carry a bag than have extra pockets in my pants.

Anyways, now that I'm off of that tangent, back to my run for today. I planned on going on a long run, and got all my stuff together and ran out the door. I ran a lap around my apartment complex once before I went down the trail that I usually do. That initial lap wasn't too bad, but it did end up being tough after a few miles. Today, the trail was much busier than it generally is during the week. I haven't had the opportunity to go for a lengthy run on a Saturday in a long time, thanks to my job. It was really nice to see all of the families walking and biking on the trail.

Every time I make eye contact with a fellow runner, I generally feel a connection with them. I feel like there's an unspoken bond between runners. (or maybe sometimes a spoken bond... but only when there is closeness. ha.) It's nice to see other runners out there with the same drive that is within myself. It's nice to know that, in such an individual sport, I'm not really alone.

I was actually passed several times by this guy who looked about my age, but way more fit than me. Sometimes, I get really jealous and frustrated by people who are more in shape than I am. I understand that I have come a long way in my running, but that doesn't make it any easier to be so slow. I have this drive inside me to always want to better myself, to always want improvement. I definitely have improved since I first started caring about myself, my fitness, but there is still a long way to go. I definitely get really impatient from time to time when I'm out there and I'm not at the pace that I'd like to be at. Frustrating.

Anyways, by the time I got to mile 4, I was doing pretty well on pace, but was really struggling to get through it. (I almost thought about sitting down and waiting for Katherine to get off of work so she could pick me up. But that would have been more than an hour, so I didn't...) Instead, I used one of my Gu gels at around that time to try to push through and then ended up running out of water at mile 5. I was just continuously getting frustrated. However, a little after 5, I started to feel a lot better and more energized. Maybe I should have used my Gu earlier. I actually should buy more of them, I think.. I'm almost out. My last two(ish) miles were definitely the best ones. I should have gone further, because at the end I was doing well. Oh well. Next time.

When I got back to my apartment complex, I still felt pretty good and was at about 6.91 miles, so I figured I'd do an extra lap around my apartment complex in order to push myself a little over 7 miles. I ended up running 7.28 miles at a little over a 15 minute pace. I really wish that my pacing was faster by a lot, but it is what it is. I need to put more effort out there than I have and I really need to work on speed.. a lot.

Any effort is better than no effort. Someday, I'll run a great 7.28 and it won't be too bad at all. That's the goal.

So far: 75.89 miles / 21 days
To go: 921.11 / 345 days