Running Update

After the Pumpkin Run I hit a small snag and didn't do anything for THREE weeks. Yeah - bad - I know. I was really hurting after the run, as it was really the first time I'd been on the road instead of a treadmill and it is much different on the legs! Then, everyone in the family got sick off and on and it wasn't worth it to me to try to run at that point.

But, since I said I'd be doing the Jingle Bell 5k on Sunday, 16 November, I figured I better get my booty moving!

Since last Sunday was such a pretty day and I woke up early even with the time change, I went for a 3-miler outside. Amazing to me was that my time was pretty close to what I did the Pumpkin Run in, so maybe the break wasn't a bad thing.

Last night I had a meeting that I was pretty pumped after, so I decided to run after the kids went to bed. I wasn't able to do the full three miles but I was able to run at about an 11-minute pace for a solid 15-minutes. That's another first for me!

Although we're heading into cold weather now, I have realized that I like running outside more than inside. Here's a few reason why:

1. Quitting on a treadmill is way too easy - outside you have to make it all the way back home, whether you want to stop moving or not!
   
2. There are more "good distractions" outside - like bumps in the road, cars, other people. There are more "bad distractions" inside - kids, spouse, TV, telephone, computer
   
3. There are more "next points" outside - "I can make it to the next....pole, sign, crack in the sidewalk, tree, the next car passes, the next runner passes, etc. Inside, the only "next points" are songs and commercials - or ticks of the clock!
   
4. FRESH AIR! Plus the occasional cold breeze is much better than depending on the ceiling fan in a heated house!
   
5. If I talk to myself while running - words of encouragement, of course - no one is around to give me funny looks. My husband, on the other hand, comes and makes fun of me talking to myself. :-)

Thanks Amanda!

So - I took Amanda's advice on my last post and tried two things - going FASTER when I was down and grabbing a focus point (next pole, next, X, next Y, etc) and both helped.

I found that once I lengthened my stride and "sped up", I wasn't hurting quite as much and bouncing much less. That was good. My calves are still very tight no matter what but I think part of that is from the lack of physical exercise for years and part might be my shoes. I really need to get those figured out.

On the second item, it's hard to get a "focus point" since I'm on a treadmill. But, I did push myself through "this slow part" or sometimes "to the next chorus" based on the song that was on. Also, since I have the TV on ("Clean House" with closed captioning tonight) I could push myself to the next part of the show - the end of the yard sale, through this commercial, etc. That seemed to help too, as I wasn't as focused on the exact passage of time but I still had a general sense of long had passed since the show has a definite timeline.

Last, but certainly not least, when I got really mad at myself at the end, I said "Dammit Girl, you can DO this! You gave NATURAL BIRTH to TWO munchkins. This shit is NOTHING!" And, my body knew that! I just had to remind myself that if I survived giving birth and raising two boys to the age of almost 7 then running for 35 minutes is NOTHING in the big scheme of things. And if I can do childbirth I can do damn near anything! :-)

OH - and for those who care, I went for 36 minutes tonight at a 13:53 pace for 2.57 miles! LONGEST DISTANCE EVER. Which is good since I have a 5k on Saturday and I was debating whether I'd be able to finish at all. I think I can now! :-)

'nuff said

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