I need to get into a better habit of dividing the weeks once they start. I've already done two of the four runs for this week. I'm feeling especially inspired today, not just with running, but in general. It's nice to feel that way. I'll have a post on that later (hopefully).
I ran the last short run last week in the morning prior to work on Friday morning. It was actually really nice. I never work-out/run before work, early in the morning. I've done it a couple of times, but I just have a hard time getting energized enough to do it. However, I'm quite resolute when it comes to the running these days. I haven't missed one yet. That's 22 runs and counting since I officially started.
Anyway, I felt like I took a long time to get warmed up, but my 5k time was about average for me, somewhere around 25 minutes. I was supposed to run 10 miles on Saturday, but I didn't plan ahead well enough and have a course mapped out prior to the day of the run. That left me fumbling a little trying to pick out a route to run that fit neatly into a 10 mile box around my house. It ended up being 11 miles that I ran, and even though I had been in the sun all day long, I was just feeling pretty confident.
What's been kind of weird is that all my "long" runs have finished right on a ten-minute mark: 6 miles in 50 minutes, 7 miles in 60 minutes, 9 miles in 1:20, and then 11 miles in 1:30. I have to admit, I was pretty pumped with that pace, and I didn't even feel like I was killing myself to finish strong. The only thing that was unusual was that when I finished my run, my legs were tingling. I never really had that sensation before. I don't know if I should be alarmed by that, and it wasn't something that lasted very long either.
I'm finding that my eating requirements have not really changed since I was in high school - I can't really eat anything prior to rigorous exercise. I had my normal bowl of oatmeal in the morning, some watermelon, and a smoothie before the run and that was it. Following the run, however, I loaded up on protein and I think that really helped me with my recovery over the next few days. You know what's weird? Eating only egg whites. I had that the next morning for breakfast. They're just white. It looks weird. And tastes like nothing...mmmmmmm!
In between FHE last night and dropping by a friend's house, I pumped out my 3 miles. I felt like I sprinted and I practically did - 3.2 miles in 23 minutes. My pace was too fast at the beginning though, as I slowed a good amount toward the end of the run. That could also be due to the fact that I didn't really have anything following lunch at about 12 in the afternoon until I ran at 9 in the evening. Still felt good though. Those 3 mile runs feel like nothing now. Nothing.
All day yesterday I was kind of hoping to run this morning, but I ended up getting too bed late. Then a friend asked if I was up for getting up at 6am to run 5 miles with her. And of course I couldn't say no, even if I couldn't get to sleep until about 2am. Ouch. Again, felt like I started off slow, but I still felt strong despite how little recovery time there was from last night to this morning. The pace was a little slower, but we ran a trail with hills, and we weren't going on my pace exactly anyway.
The most encouraging part about yesterday's and today's runs were that I felt none of the same kinds of pains that I felt last week in the first short run. My shins felt fine, although my legs were kind of weary, I had a good pace for both of the runs and didn't feel so uncomfortable as I did last week. Although there was some tenderness in my right knee on the inner part, I guess that's the MCL, right Dave? Like you've read all of this...
Really, I was stoked after finishing the 11 mile on Saturday. That's a 7.33 mph pace, running 1 mile about every 8:11. Again, I felt like I could have gone a couple of more if I had to. I think following this marathon I'd like to do a half and shoot for a 1:30 time. Maybe I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself, but I felt like I could have kept up that pace for another couple of miles and that already puts me at about 1:46, AND I hadn't even run that far in my entire life before, AND I wasn't even shooting for a time, so I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement. Or maybe not. I really have no idea how much time I can shave off, given that I don't really know where to place myself among runners (novice, intermediate, etc.). It's easier to cut time if you're going from novice to intermediate than from intermediate to expert, know what I mean? Maybe I should just shoot for a 5k of like 18 minutes and work my way up from there, who knows...
One last thing, I haven't really had any weight loss. I think I was already at a pretty low weight to begin with, for me at least. I've been hovering around 173 lbs for a couple of months now. Part of that could be due to the fact that any would be weight loss from the increased exercise has been offset from watching my eating less more recently, but I wonder if my body composition has been changing. I think for the most part that I have been getting leaner. I don't think I really have a body that gets really skinny unless I'm really strict with my diet, but I think I just like eating cookies and brownies too much on the weekends to ever really give that up. Just thinking aloud.
And for anyone who has made it this far, the best part about this whole thing is just how empowering it all feels. This might seem kind of silly, but I really feel like there is an increased sense of dominance of my spirit over my body. Physically at least, I feel like I can kind of do anything, and that sense of increased capacity is really exciting.
Right after my last long run, the thought actually crossed my mind that the Lord understands exactly the physical toll of that 11 mile run. He knows the spots where I had my peaks, and where I was in my valleys. And while I felt in one sense comforted to know He endured even those kinds of afflictions for me, I also kind of appreciated the fact I think maybe He also got to experience some of those highs as well - those times when we do actually overcome and don't require Him to suffer so much because we did actually kind of figure it out. I guess I just never really thought about the Atonement working out that way. This thought is based on nothing and is kind of corny and probably off-base, but if He experienced the lows as well as the highs while carrying out the Atonement, maybe personally witnessing those times when we do succeed is part of what got Him through some of the most trying spots. Again, that is the kind of flowery line of thinking that I normally loathe, but maybe it has some element of truth to it.
Anyway, running is cool.
1 comment:
i actually feel motivated to do better at running. but not a marathon. i don't feel that motivated. funny, i was going to ask you if you have lost weight, and then you read my mind. that is kind of weird you haven't. hmmm. congrats though, your times on your runs is really impressive.
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