So, I'm not going to lie - after Saturday's seven-mile disaster (I literally did not feel normal again until Sunday night) and a three miler that sort of left me a little bit out of sorts last night, I was starting to get nervous. And then I started thinking. How am I going to make it up to 13 miles? Maybe my body isn't built for distance running. How did I do this in college? Ugh, I'm going to have to bump down to the 5K. But people have been so encouraging on the blog! How am I going to explain to them that I'm only going to run the 5K? But I can't do this. I don't think my body is built for distance running.
Suffice is to say that if you leave me alone with my thoughts for two long ... well ... I start to get a little dramatic.
That being said, I was reading Caitlin's post on running races in costumes this morning and I was inspired by just how many people completed marathons or half marathons - and they were all smiling! I can do this, I can do this, I just need to be patient. So I snuck out of work around 3:30 and headed home to change into my running clothes. I had 6 miles on the schedule for today.
I decided to drive over to Stone Mountain and, I have to say, this was by far the best run I've gone on since I started training. There are a couple of things that I want to say about it, because I was intentional about making changes to my diet and my approach to the run that I think pushed me over the training hump I've been stuck on.
1. Pre-Run Fuel
I ate a cheese omelette for breakfast, snacked on a granola bar mid-morning and had chicken fried rice for lunch. I quit drinking coffee around noon (that sounds pathetic, but usually I sip on it into the afternoon) and switched to room temperature water (now that it's getting colder, ice water just doesn't appeal to me). I tried to eat big portions of light foods that would give me a lot of calories to sustain me in my run, but not weigh me down. I also grabbed a Clif Bar and ate it on my way to the park. It's about a 15-20 minute ride, and it usually takes me 10 minutes to use the restroom, put on my knee brace, sneakers, garmin and iPod and actually start running, so that's plenty of time to digest.
2. Run Fuel
I usually bring 32 ounces of gatorade to drink on the way home, but this time I filled a 10 ounce bottle that I bought when I was buying my sneakers this past weekend. I took the 10 ounce bottle on my run with me and I took a sip or two every mile.
3. Walking Breaks
I told myself after Saturday's disaster that I would be giving myself a 0.10 mile walking break every two miles for this weekends 8 mile run. The thought crossed my mind on my drive out that I should do the same for this run. So every two miles I slowed to a walk for 0.10 mile. I'm not going to lie - this was hard for me to do. I'm a perfectionist; I'm Type A; I have a Saviour Complex. I should be able to run 6 miles, 7 miles, eventually 13.1 miles without stopping to walk. But as I was testing out this new method, I had a thought. Back in February, I posted this video of me playing a jazz piece on my saxophone with the church choir. I thought about the first time I picked up the piece of music I was playing - there was a run at the end that sounded like a gaggle of geese flying south for the winter the first time I played it. Really - it was that bad. But I slowed it down, practiced and gradually increased my tempo. By the time it was time to play it in public, I was good to go. So I asked myself - How is running any different? Why can't I slow myself down to train? I also thought about my friends and favorite bloggers who have run half marathons and marathons - they all say they walk while they are training! Why did it take me so long to jump on board with this? Oh, right. I'm a perfectionist. Oy.
Anyway, I ran a 10K (6.2 miles) in 1:06:33, averaging a 10:44 pace! Obviously the 0.30 miles worth of walking didn't kill my average pace - in fact it HELPED it!
I was all smiles at the end of this one! With every step I took, I squashed my negative thoughts, one by one. I am suddenly re-energized and excited about tackling 8 miles on Saturday.
Have a great night y'all!
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I think that's amazing! I have the same philosophy with studying- a turn everything off and study for 50 minutes and then I give myself a 10 minute break.
ReplyDeleteI ran tack my freshman year of high school- not because I wanted to- someone told me that I'd never make through one practice, let alone the entire season, and I had to prove them wrong. I hated every second of every minute of it, but I went to every practice, ran in the races, and finished the season. And even though it was akin to torture, it just me made me more proud of myself for finishing. (Even though I was the slowest person on the 150 member team) So good for you for not getting discouraged and finding new ways to keep you going! It's very inspiring :)