Holy Cow!!! Guess what I did??? Yesterday, I ran a new personal best for distance...ready?? 8 miles!!! 8 freaking miles! I am so beyond thrilled with that. I have decided that even though everything I'm reading says to have your 'long run' on the weekend, I'm going to do mine in the middle of the week when my youngest is in preschool. The weekends are more for family time so I think I'd be more productive if those long runs were on Wednesday or Thursday every week. That way, I can do a short run on Monday and again on Saturday and I'll probably throw another short run in there somewhere in addition to my cross training day which will be Friday. This has worked for me 2 weeks in a row now - with my 6 miler last Thursday then my 8 miler yesterday (8 miles!!!!). I'm sure the increase from 6 to 8 in one week was too much. Most info out there says to increase your time by only 10% so I probably overdid it. I'll stick to 8 again next week then try and bump up to 9 the week after.
Potential problems I'm noticing but trying not to freak out about:
1. My right hip flexor muscle continues to be an issue. It really aches and is bothersome. I need to find some better stretches for it. Also, I need to find some exercises to strengthen my hips.
2. My stomach. I have no clue what the issue is by every time I run more than 4 miles, I suffer stomach pains and, er, issues when I get home. Yesterday was worse than ever because of the longer distance. Is it what I'm eating before my run? Not enough water? I have no clue.
3. My left ankle, the one I sprained in the spring was pretty achy yesterday around mile 6.5. It feels ok today though.
Things I'm really happy about:
1. I ran 8 miles!!!
2. Even at the end, when my house was in site, it wasn't my breathing that was making me want to stop, it was my legs...they were screaming 'stop!!!' for the last mile. So I'm happy that cardio-wise, I'm doing pretty well. I think I need to do some strength training for my legs to get them stronger although the training will probably strengthen them as well.
3. It didn't take me 4 hours to run 8 miles! It took me 1 hour and 10 minutes. Not sister speedy by any means, but not quite a turtle either! If I can do the final 5 averaging 10 minutes each, I can finish that 1/2 marathon in 2 hours. My goal is 1 hour and 50 minutes....perhaps a bit lofty.
Potential problems I'm noticing but trying not to freak out about:
1. My right hip flexor muscle continues to be an issue. It really aches and is bothersome. I need to find some better stretches for it. Also, I need to find some exercises to strengthen my hips.
2. My stomach. I have no clue what the issue is by every time I run more than 4 miles, I suffer stomach pains and, er, issues when I get home. Yesterday was worse than ever because of the longer distance. Is it what I'm eating before my run? Not enough water? I have no clue.
3. My left ankle, the one I sprained in the spring was pretty achy yesterday around mile 6.5. It feels ok today though.
Things I'm really happy about:
1. I ran 8 miles!!!
2. Even at the end, when my house was in site, it wasn't my breathing that was making me want to stop, it was my legs...they were screaming 'stop!!!' for the last mile. So I'm happy that cardio-wise, I'm doing pretty well. I think I need to do some strength training for my legs to get them stronger although the training will probably strengthen them as well.
3. It didn't take me 4 hours to run 8 miles! It took me 1 hour and 10 minutes. Not sister speedy by any means, but not quite a turtle either! If I can do the final 5 averaging 10 minutes each, I can finish that 1/2 marathon in 2 hours. My goal is 1 hour and 50 minutes....perhaps a bit lofty.
My favorite thing about this 8 mile out and back route:
It takes me past Leisure World: the home of all folks 70 and up. I felt right at home shuffling along the path with all the caddy's slowly riding along side me...I dare say I even passed a couple! When you surround yourself with slow moving things, you don't feel so slow!
So I guess it is safe to say that I beat that cold bug and am officially back in training! Yay!
So I guess it is safe to say that I beat that cold bug and am officially back in training! Yay!
Song Quote of the Day:
'if at first you don't succeed,
dust yourself off and try again,
you can dust it off and try again.'
1 comment:
Ren, you're not slow by most people's standards--not by running your 8 miles in that time. Your legs will get stronger and it won't always hurt. Keep up the great running and posting!
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