Running In Place

And topped off with great 5 mile run today!!

Now, before I review my week, I’m setting a new goal that is adjunct to my Boilermaker training:

I am no longer going to apologize for, be embarrassed by, or try to hide how slow I am. Let me quickly add that no other person, no RBFer or any other runner - no one, I have ever talked to or corresponded with has ever said anything to cause me to feel inadequate. It’s my own dragon and I’m going to slay it. From now on, time/distance/pace is a training tool for me, I’ll post them and I’ll measure them against past performances and future goals. I won’t make excuses for them, self-deprecating comments about them, or otherwise feel ashamed. My hope is to get faster over time and I won’t cheapen my efforts along the way (or up to this point) by minimizing what I can be capable of. I really want to change my thinking on this. Recently I have really tried to not disparage myself here or in my own mind, but as I sat down today to write about my long run I looked at the times and really struggled about posting them. Should I not post them and kind of censor my training log? Should I post them and make jokes and flippant remarks about them? Or be defensive? I hope not. That’s not how I want to do this any more. So I guess I’ll just let it all hang out. I am going to try to be vigilant about being kinder to myself - and anyone is invited and welcome, and appreciated, to say “cut the crap Lara” if I deviate.

Phew.

That being said, my first week of training was, at first, kind of uninspired because I had not made this wonderful new affirmation But today’s run was grand!!

Monday:
Time: 40:00
Distance: 3:09 miles
Avg. pace - 12:57
Effort - 8 of 10
The worst part of this run was the creeping crawling shorts. I remember now why I prefer winter running - more clothes.

Wednesday:
Let my start out by saying that this was pretty much the first time I had done interval type stuff. I had it in my head that the plan called for 3 x 5 min. at 80% with 1 min. recovery jogs, later I discovered that it was actually 5 x 3 min. Doh. I don’t know if I would have faired better if I did it correctly, probably because I was kind of dying with those 5 minutes and had to do 2 min. of recovery the first time and walking to recover the second time. Well, plenty more opportunities to get the hang of it.
Time: 19:55
Distance: 1.83
Avg. pace: 10:53
Effort: 9.5 of 10

Friday
Time: 40:00
Distance: 3.44
Avg. Pace: 11:38
Effort: 8 of 10
This was a cooler day than Monday and the run went more easily for me (especially with long pants on ).

Saturday
Time: 1:03:38
Distance: 5 miles
Avg. pace: 12:44
Effort: 6-7 of 10
Today was a really good run for me psychologically! I was ever so slightly nervous because it would be my longest run to date (recalling that my Heart Run 5 Miler was actually 4.67). So I’m thinking, maybe I’ll run 4 and see how I feel. Maybe I can’t do it. But the question isn’t really can I do it, it’s will I do it. Am I truly unable or just unwilling to do it. Well the answer is neither! Call me a wuss, but I did wait until the sideways rain stopped to head out. Temp in the 40’s F and a cool but not cold wind, gray skies - the perfect day to run along the canal and watch the high, choppy water. My job today was to keep my effort sustainable and that is hard for me. I lose track and speed up too much, then I have to slow down, then I do it all again and it seems to make the run so much harder. So today it’s slow motion, Bionic Woman style (I resisted making the eheheheheheh sound effect although there was no one on the path that would have heard). It was right, right from the beginnng, it was a great run that was moderately difficult but managable and left me feeling accomplished and not overwhelmed. I think I did that one right!

Not surprisingly I am looking forward to next week. I plan to make one of my runs with the running club I joined and have yet to run with. Because I good enough, I’m fast enough, and dog-gonit, people like me