Today I ran the farthest I have ever had to go, FOUR miles. From this week on my long runs will continue to go up one mile at a time and I'm actually not dreading it as much as I thought I would. Do I dare say that I'm actually beginning to enjoy running?! Shhhh... don't tell. Seriously though, on my rest days when I'm not running I've noticed that I'm more tired and crankier, I'm sure my kids could tell you what days I run and which ones I don't. I was just telling Derek that I'm going to have to start doing a short run on my "off" days because my body has started craving the activity. Who knew?!
Back to today's run though. I parked at the local library and then ran along a frontage road that just happened to be two miles one way, perfect, right?! There was even about half a block for warm up and cool down. As I left my car and started heading out I almost backed out and went over to the high school because I let myself get self conscious. Thankfully I got over it and away I went. I shortened my running interval and lengthened my walking because I didn't want to over do it and I was more focused on finishing the distance than my pace (that's what my week day runs are for). I had a goal to finish in 55 minutes or less but clocked in at 56:17, which I'm actually very happy with. Like I said, it's the longest I've ever gone. I averaged a 14:04 min/mile pace which is good for me right now. I had brought along a small 50 ounce CamelBak for hydration and I think that helped immensely. It also didn't hurt that this morning was fairly cool (it is Florida after all) and had a slight breeze, now that I reflect back, it was actually really good running conditions! My husband works with a guy that has his PhD in chemistry and has run multiple marathons, triathlons, you name it, he's probably done it. Anyways, when he found out I was training he offered to mix me up a drink powder that would help sustain me during my long runs, I guess it's sort of a like a customized Gatorade type of drink. That's what I had in my CamelBak and while it's not the best thing I've ever tasted, I was still walking upright at the end and felt good!
Last time I posted I mentioned that my kids were going to do the kids one mile race so this last week I've been taking them out and "training" them. I love it that they're so excited to exercise! At the elementary school they go to they have to run a mile once a week so they're not totally unfamiliar with the distance but I'd still like them to be prepared. That and we're planning a secret Disney trip in September so we want them to be prepped for all the walking! We took them last September and they were all complaining about their feet after about an hour.
This week I feel I've made a lot of progress in my running, my speed has increased on my week day runs and I'm really happy with my long run today. I really like the run/walk/run interval training that I'm doing. I don't feel exhausted at the end of my runs and I'm not hurting. Every other time I've tried to start running, my plantar fasciitis flares up again and I end up stopping.
So my goals for this coming week? Decrease my rest interval on my week day runs to 1:00 and complete my 5 miles on Saturday in an hour and fifteen minutes or less.
Happy training!
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