Training Week #4

I'm officially signed up for the Fort 14--the nation's only 14 mile race. It lines up pretty well with my training, so might as well.

Week 4 was all about speed--not intentionally so. Started out with a really strong run on Tuesday, and kept the momentum going from there. Generally my pace wavers somewhere between 12-13 minutes. And my long run pace is 13-14. But Tuesday's 3 miler was an exciting run for me, because my first two miles were really fast, and I'm not at all disappointed about the third. I finished with a 11:55 min/mi pace, and was super excited.



I didn't have anything super terrific to take a picture of on my run, but I knew exactly what I wanted to include in this post: my body glide. This study is amazing. It's literally the only reason I can run in shorts! I have all these cute running shorts, and don't usually run in them, because let's be honest, I don't have a thigh gap. No thigh gap means chaffing. And chaffing makes me crabby. So shout out to body glide.

     With the holiday on Wednesday, and a busy day Thursday, my run happened a little later. After an errand to Target, I had Chelsey just drop me off at what I approximated to be 4 miles from home. It was about 8PM, and made for a beautiful run.

But this face....let me tell you about this face. This was the most frustrating run I've had in a while. My left calf, despite stretching beforehand, was so tight, I had to stop every mile and stretch. And by the time I got to mile three, I just about gave up. And by that I mean, I literally stopped my watch. Stopped clocking my run. I was thrilled with my 3 miles (all under 12 minutes), but just couldn't make it a 4th. I was down in the village. Little less than half mile walk home. I stretched my calf out one last time, Slowing my breathing, angry with myself for giving up. I thought about my pace. About how well the previous run had gone. And about the fact that my long run for the week was going to be a challenge. And so, I took a deep breath, restarted my watch, and ran my last mile. It was my slowest of the day, at a 12:30. But I got it done. There are a lot of bananas and foam rolling in my future!


Saturday morning's run was MUCH better. Went out early, when there was still a little chill in the air...decided later that long sleeves was probably a little over dramatic.


BUT!

My pace! 11:24! I was beyond stoked. Barely squeaked the last mile in under 12 minutes (11:59!) but absolutely something I am proud of.





So Sunday came. And I knew it was going to be a rough one. Nine miles. NINE. But the only way to do it was to do it. I laced up my shoes, cranked some tunes, and headed out to some familiar trail. About a mile in, something kind of neat happened--I ran into someone I knew, a friend from school, also running. What are the chances?! Steph was working on her own long run--a 15 miler! Something that, at this point, I can only dream of! It kind of worked out well, running into her, because at the points in my run where I wanted to quit and start walking, I said to myself, "If Steph can run 15 and make it look effortless, I can certainly drag my ass through 9!" So thanks, lady! 

But I was actually doing a little more than just dragging my ass through those nine miles (even if it felt like it!) Because my slowest mile was 13:17. Which, for me, is a huge deal. and I ended up with an overall pace of 12:55 min/mi. Which won't win me any awards, but was a great feeling after pushing it all week. I was still exhausted afterwards, but I was feeling really good about it.

Oh and also, NATURE! This run gave me the opportunity to see a lot of nature: 1 deer, 6 bunnies, 2 blue jays, a whole mess of robins, and 5 sandhill cranes! Okay, city girl moment over...





When you run this much, you have a lot of time to think. And here was what I came to realize this week: At some point, I'm going to have to WANT to run this marathon. Or it's never going to happen. I've said it from the beginning--I don't want to run a marathon. But I do like a challenge. And I like that I am accomplishing goals, things I had never thought possible. What I've come to appreciate most about training is that it gives me a focus--and sometimes, just a place to focus. I've had a lot to mull over in the last year or so. I've been really trying to find myself, to get back to ME. And I can't even describe just how beneficial running has been for doing that. How much I've grown spiritually, emotionally, while pushing myself physically and mentally.

Regardless, at some point, I'm going to have to WANT to run this marathon. And I'm just not there. YET.