I know it seems like every week I have a "reflection" post, (this isn't one of them) but I guess you could say I amazed myself in this running thing. When I started losing weight, and even to this day, I still can't really comprehend what I did or have done (where I've came from), and often brush it off as "no big deal." That's just who I am. And unfortunately, I can honestly say I still don't have the confidence I would like to have, both in what I can do and in who I am as a person. I'll often ask, "Are you sure," over everything. (I honestly hate that, and I'm working on it.) I'm better than where I have been, and self esteem is slowly creeping back into my life. It's a nice change to be honest, and I think it's coming with my personal happiness. I honestly can't say I'm unhappy with where I'm at, both mentally and with my weight. I'm pretty happy, and fine if I just stay where I am.
Anyway, moving on...
Last night's run legitimately surprised me. Like shocked, surprised me. Up until now, I've been running a solid 5k, or 3.1+ miles at a pretty good clip (at least for me). A few nights ago, I decided to try to run the "country square mile," as redneck as that sounds, and as I joke about it often... In the county I live in, our country roads are set up on a grid, usually about a mile between each (or .75, or .5, etc.) Say you're on 100 West. Well, your 1 mile west of Base Rd. Follow? Makes it easy, at least for me, to get around our county. In deciding to complete said "country square mile" it consists of a little over 4 miles, 4.63 to be exact, from home, going north, west, south, then east, and back to home. I hadn't planned to record the entire run, as I started after my 5 minute walking warmup. I've been doing that now as a way to get a more accurate judge of my pace when running.
I wasn't planning to run 4 miles, and initially I didn't, only completing 3.5 before running out of gas the first night. At the same time, it felt absolutely wonderful, being able to set a new "distance" record for myself. But that didn't last long...
Last night was much cooler than expected, and I hoped to dodge rain drops as I ran. I made it just in time, and after a few glitches with the GPS on my phone, it said I completed 5 miles, including one in 6 minutes. Of course I knew that wasn't accurate, so cue Google Earth. (I busted out laughing at a 6 minute mile. I love you iPhone, but I'm not that good.) I used the path feature to recreate what I ran last night, and guess what? 4.32 miles!!! Solid. :)
The run last night was a little slower than I had wanted pace-wise, but mentally it was just what I needed after some unwanted stress. I was able to complete the 4 mile run in just a little over 51 minutes, and I'll take it!
This brings me to the point of my post, and adding maybe another goal or challenge I'll start to work towards. I had planned to run the 5k on the image below, not knowing there was a 10k run at the same time, same place, same price, etc. I had initially thought of maybe running a 10k at the end of September, however it's 2 hours away, and I'm not sure with school work and other commitments that I'd personally feel ready. Well, October 19 is still over two months away, and with me completing 4 miles, I think I can make this happen. (Think being a major keyword.)
So that's the plan. I am going to run the CEC Fall Foliage 10k (not 5k). That's 6.2 miles. Over an hour of constant running. It's a tall order for me, but for not even being able to complete a solid quarter-mile, let alone a lap around the neighborhood, I still can't believe I'm the same Ashley I was 12 weeks ago... In last night's run, after about 2 1/2 miles, I fell into a good pace, where breathing and running took over without having to think about it. That "comfortable pace" is when I truly love running...
It's just another step in the journey on my way to the half marathon (which I still have doubts about), in May 2014. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but if I have more runs like last night's, it will definitely be worth it!
This is such a great post because I feel I have found my "redneck" :). sister. I do the country square mile all of the time.That is where I do all of my long runs! I know exactly what you mean. This is where I started running because honestly when I started running I really was self conscious & didn't want other people watching so I just went out to the country roads since they are only .7 from my place.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I literally started running from scratch. I started running 30 sec & walking 30 sec than started running from electric pole to electric pole & adding more poles & less walking. It was a very big deal to run 1 mile without stopping. It may seem impossible to run a half marathon but believe with training & over time you will do it. (If it doesn't happen May 2014 don't worry because IT WILL happen sometime. 90% of all my long runs for my marathon training were on the country roads. I still have no idea how I completed all of those training runs during the VERY hot summer last year.