Halfway there!

This past weekend I was home for Yom Kippur, so I did my 7 mile long run in Salisbury. (Thanks, Mom, for driving around the neighborhood to map out a course for me!) The first couple miles were, as usual, the worst part. My mom biked along behind me and was able to keep my mind occupied with stories about everyone back home, so I wasn't quite as focused on how far I was running.

The 7 miles was pleasing, but even more so, yesterday morning I went out for my 3-4 mile run and ended up getting a little turned around and running almost 5 miles. The fact that just a week and a half ago 5 miles was a miserable experience, and yesterday morning it wasn't so bad, got me all re-energized about bumping up to 10 miles in the next couple of weeks.

(Of course, the idea of 10 miles is still a little nerve-wracking.)

I'm hoping to get my fundraising moving along again soon -- I'm almost halfway to my goal, but still have over $1000 left to raise before the race! GO TEAM!

5 Mile Mark!

This past weekend I hit a nice round number, 5 miles! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to run with the TNT group in Old Town Alexandria because I was in Pittsburgh for the weekend. But I still got my run in. E drove me out to his hometown high school so we could do 5 miles on the track. (We even got to see an old football teammate of his who's now a coach.) Track running isn't the most exciting thing, but I was really proud to complete the 5 miles. I also went to my first Steelers game the next day, which was a nice pseudo-celebration.

I've been taste-testing different energy formulas while I run. So far, the berry Jelly Belly sport beans were delicious but didn't give me much energy; the berry Clif Blocks were too sticky for my liking; and the lemon-lime Gu was a little tough to swallow taste-wise but gave me a ridiculous energy burst that made my 4 miles of hills totally bearable. I have a couple others to try, but so far Gu is the winner.

Upcoming weekend is a 7 mile run (!!!) and it's another messy schedule since Saturday is Yom Kippur. Not only will I be home (another missed group run...), but I'll be fasting -- definitely not going to run that day. My run will have to move to Friday, and hopefully my parents will keep me company either in the car or on their bikes! Fortunately Salisbury is very flat, so I'll be able to run on the roads instead of a track.

Incidentally, 7 miles is the number that jumped off the page of the training calendar at me on Day 1 of Team in Training. It just seems like a really long way to run. I still think that, although I'm slightly more confident now that I've done 5. I'll be sure to update when I get the 7 behind me!


On a separate note, I am 41% of the way towards my goal, and mailed in a few additional checks to LLS that I've recieved in the mail! A big "thank you!" to everyone who's donated to my run. The support is fantastic!!

Pep Talk

This week has been really busy due to the Labor Day holiday, the UMD-Navy game (GO TERPS!!!), and Rosh Hashanah, but I've managed to fit in a run every day!

Today was my first 4-mile run since Saturday, though, and it went pretty well. I'm eager to get over the "first couple miles = ouch" hump, so that these daily workouts aren't as frustrating in the beginning. I've been assured by a few people that it's just a matter of time, so I will keep running!!

My mental pep talk today went something along the lines of:
"It's really early in the morning; why am I awake and running? I don't like this very much..."
"But I also don't like cancer."
"What if all I had to do was run, and less people would have cancer in the future?"
"I would run every day."

So I am.

(Go team!)

4 Miles!

Hit the 4-mile mark for the first time during today's group run at Haines Point!! It was a FANTASTIC morning for a run -- around 70 degrees, breezy, and no humidity. That probably contributed to the fact that I felt pretty good at the end of my 4 miles.

The run/walk combo that I've been doing definitely also helps. I wasn't really aware that you could do that before I started training, but it's a technique used by some endurance runners. The idea is that you don't run until you're exhausted and have to walk, you run and walk at a regular pace. Since you're devoting time to recovery during the race and even when you don't NEED it, you keep a more even pace and are able to finish stronger. (Google "Galloway Method" if you want more details.)

Anyway, our TNT coaches are big supporters of the Galloway method, especially for first-timers. Today I continued with a 4 minute run/1 minute walk pace, and that's been working really well for me. I think on a hotter day I might have to cut back to 3-1.

So this morning was a fantastic combination of weather and a general good feeling in my body, making the 4 miles seem not nearly as daunting as I thought they would. Next weekend I'll be in Pittsburgh so I'll miss our group run (and will have to do 5 miles on a track... ugh), and the weekend after I'll be home for Yom Kippur and will have to figure out fitting 7 miles in on Friday morning. I'll be eager to get back into running with the group!

9.1 to go......