1) I SIGNED UP FOR THE DETROIT WOMEN'S HALF MARATHON!!
It's Sunday, 9/22/13. 61 days away from today!! As you recall, the longest official race I've done is a handful of 5Ks. This is huge to me! I'm encouraging you to sign up! Seems like it will be a wonderful event and a supportive environment to promote your own health and well-being.
2) Per my training schedule, on 07/13/13 I ran 5.15 miles in 01:01:50. Average pace: 12:01! While I appreciate it's not the fastest pace, it is the farthest distance I've ever run to date, and was able to run the whole distance without stopping to walk! I am beyond thrilled with that. My workout buddy and I decided to run the local high school track for this one. At first I enjoyed it. I was able to leave my keys, water bottle, chews, right on the sidelines and swing by and pick it up when I needed it, freeing myself from the cumbersome weight. However, after several laps, began to feel like a hamster on a wheel. To be honest, I was concerned about GI issues and wanted to make sure bathrooms were nearby for "just in case"! This was a safe way to practice building my distance.
3) One-upping myself, per my training schedule, on 07/21/13, I ran 6.14 miles in 01:11:44. Average pace 11:41! Wait: whaaaaat?! I went one my further and cut down on my pace?! It was a real confidence builder yesterday...for the first time I started thinking, "Hey...I might really be able to do this Half Marathon!" I was planning to do a run/walk combination for the Half. After running the whole 5 miles last week, this week I did not allow myself to slow down to walking until after 5 miles, since I already had evidence I could do at least that much. At mile 5, I wasn't sore or in pain, so decided to continue on. Alas, I made it...and then some! For this long run, I decided to run the perimeter of my neighborhood, which is 1.27 miles. This way, I could simply count down from 5 laps...mentally it seemed reasonable! I enjoyed this approach much more than the track last week. The track certainly has its uses, but I don't think it's distance running... Also, I've been researching energy supplements. For this run, 30 minutes beforehand I ate a Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffle. The reviews I read were right: it has a good taste and texture, without it being too sweet or heavy on the stomach. At mile three I tried the Honey Stinger Cherry Energy Chews. Again, they were good tasting and not heavy on the stomach. My issue was trying to eat while on the run. It's the first time I've really attempted anything like that and was a little awkward with the package...as well as learning to chew and swallow while maintaining my breathing! HA! I can just imagine what a sight I was... The point is, I think they worked! I mean, it shaved 20 seconds of my pace/mile, on a longer distance, I didn't feel "the wall," and I didn't have digestive issues. To me, this is success! :)
My workout buddy ran the 5-miler slower than I...and the 6-miler faster than I! My runner's high wasn't enough to dismiss the fury in my belly over being beaten! To be clear, I am not proud of my reaction. I was feeling so good having covered that 6 miles, to come home and read the posts that my friend had done more miles than I...and faster! UGH! Since we are at about the same level of ability right now, I considered this to be my deficit. This is a mental challenge for myself, and always has been; not feeling good enough, lack of confidence in ability, comparing myself against others... Of course, I immediately got myself in check, and recognized how awesome my friend's efforts were as well. I also refocused my attention to recognizing I still ran 6.1 miles yesterday, and can still be very proud of that. :)
So, that's a lot for the couple of weeks I haven't touched base! It's been a welcome distraction...to not getting pregnant. I mentioned before some of the reasons I felt I needed to embrace my running and training for this Half Marathon. Since I'm not pregnant, and not in fertility treatments to get pregnant...this is something I have in my control. It's so validating to get some positive feedback from my efforts, I can't even describe it to you. To go through so much effort during fertility treatments, to have it essentially fail every time...this was a much needed reminder that good things do still come from hard work. It's probably because it's about time for a visit from Aunt Flo that I'm feeling more emotional about it this week, but I've committed to running through it this month, instead of crying in bed with cookies. *blush*
Have you used running to cope with anything?
What milestones have you reached lately?
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