Day 194 - Still At It

In spite of my lack of blog posts, I am still running! Now, is that amazing, or what?

Back at the end January and into the beginning of February there was about a three week period where I didn't run at all. I would have been completely done for were it not for my angel friend who registered for our next race. Initially, we had planned to run the Sweetheart 10K on February 11th, but it turned out it wasn't going on this year. So we found another race, the Dogtown, that was a half marathon, 9K, and 5K on February 25th. We both registered for the 9K (which is about 5.6 miles). I started running again, but then came down with a cold and didn't go for another week. I was in no way prepared to run the 9K, so I changed my race to the 5K. On race day, we ran the first mile together before going our separate ways, me finishing up the 5K, and her the 9K. We both got awesome massages from our friend, a chiropractor, who was a sponsor of the race.

At some point in February I also heard of another 5K coming up called Run For Ben that was organized in order to raise money in support of a family whose husband and father (about my age) was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2010. I was so inspired by their journey that there was no question in my mind that I would run to support them. (see their blog here.) That race was on March 24th, and both of us ran it again. It was in the exact location and route of the 5K I ran in February, and I definitely could notice a difference in my own endurance level on the route. Every little run was making a difference!

At this point in my training, I became infused with a renewed determination to see this goal out to the finish line. On Monday after the Run for Ben, I ran my scheduled 3.5 miles. This was really a breakthrough run for me on a number of levels. First of all, it was the first time that I had run a scheduled "long" run on a Monday after having run a race the previous Saturday. I was proud of myself for that. It was also a major success for me because I ran the entire time without stopping! The factors that I believe made that possible were:

1. Running after the sun went down
2. Running alongside the stroller while John pushed it on his rollerblades, rather than having to push it myself (that's a difference of 50 pounds of kid flesh!)
3. Having music to run to

That run felt so good. I was amazed that halfway through my run, when I usually start talking myself into walking because I'm so tired, I actually felt a burst of energy! I felt so good, and wasn't even winded when I finished up. It was a wonderful experience.

I was really motivated to do all my training that week and was off to a great start. Tuesday I went for a 2 mile walk up and down these insane hills on the street behind our house. Wednesday I did a 3 mile run. I realized during that run that running really makes me have to poop. It's not such a great feeling. I ran past the houses of quite a few friends and was so tempted to stop and use their restroom, but I just couldn't bring myself to knock on their door and say, "Excuse me, but can I POOP in your bathroom and then leave?" On Thursday, I even did my yoga workout. I didn't do my 40 minute walk on Friday though. We went up to Enterprise that night and Saturday I was scheduled to do a 5 mile run. The plan was to do it after the second General Conference session around 4pm. John was planning on coming with me again (on roller blades, of course.) The time came and it just so happened that it was cRaZy windy outside, but I was determined to just do it. So out we went. We even had a nephew who wanted to come with us on his little scooter. We ran out on a single road 2.5 miles with the wind blowing along with us. Once we turned around though, it was insanely difficult to run against that wind. John and our nephew were picked up between 3 and 3.5 miles and I kept on running. Even without music, I was determined to finish. And what motivated me, especially while running against that wind, was imagining myself proudly saying, "I completed 5 miles and I ran every step of the way!" And, I did it. I looked up the wind speed when I got home... 31 mph. It really was a phenomenal week.

The next week, my family spent with us for their spring break and I only went out once with my mom. We only did 2 miles and I was horrible at it because it was right after we stuffed our bellies with dinner. We hiked Upper Emerald Pools at Zion National Park on Saturday, so I didn't do my long run either.

The week after that I did a 4 mile run on Monday and Wednesday and then woke up extra early to meet my friends out on Sand Hollow Road to do our 6 mile run. Yes, that's right. SIX miles. That's a 10K length! It was a beautiful morning and I am happy to say that I completed that six miles, running all but the last .5 mile.

That brings us to this week, and I went out with a friend on both Monday and Wednesday. We ran 3.6 miles and then 4 miles. I'm running with this friend who is showing her serious colors too. She's intended to do the half marathon with us from the start of all this, but has yet to do any races with us. It's nice running with her because we go when both of our kids are at Joy School. And there really are plenty of days that I would most likely talk myself out of running if it weren't for her saying "let's go!" We've got another 6 miler scheduled for tomorrow and I'm not necessarily looking forward to it, but I am really glad to have friends running with me!

At this point in my training, I'm really proud that I'm still at it for one! For two, I'm proud that I've started running these longer runs without stopping. It's proof to me that my body really is getting used to this running thing. My number one goal is completion. I'm not concerned about my pace, I'm focused on completing the half marathon. (And speaking of pace, I'm staying pretty consistent at around 13.5 minute miles... not too exciting.)