This past week, I ran 20 miles! If someone had told me in September, when I started running for one race, I’d run 20 miles -ever- I would have laughed!
I ran two times this week under five miles, once at 6.2 miles (a 10K distance) and I ran the longest distance I have ever run, at 8 miles. I was really happy with the 10K distance run. My time on that was 1:01. I ran this outside in a lot of mud at a park. At first I didn’t want to get mud all over me, but after a mile I figured why not, and had fun running through the muck. I have been wondering if I am going to be able to run my first 10K, the Bolder Boulder, in May sub 68 minutes, and it gave me a lot of confidence today that I will be able to.
Physically, I’m a little tired but not as much as I thought I would be. After Ryan was born, I had some funky hip pain that lasted for about 6 months. I had an MRI done on it, and the doctor told me sometimes after pregnancy the muscles and ligaments never quite get back to “normal.” He predicted the pain would go away, and few weeks later it did. However, when I was running the 8 miles, I felt that exact same pain start. I did a few stretches and used the foam roller on the spot and that seemed to help, but I still feel it slightly. I am hoping it is a “running” pain and it will work itself out, as I keep running longer distances.
This week I also got a Garmin Forerunner 405. I used it today for the first time, and I think I am in love. For the first time, I can see how fast I’m running each mile, my pacing, and I don’t have to worry about knowing the distances ahead of time. Today I ran my fastest mile in mile 5, which was kind of a surprise for me. I can download all the information to my computer to keep better track of my workouts. I am going to be reviewing it shortly, after I have used it more.
I am going to keep increasing my distances every week. From what I have read, usually it is not recommended to increase distance by more than 10% at a time to avoid injuries. I am really happy I had such a productive running week, and am hoping it will all pay off in April. My dad has been training to run in a 5K with me, and we are going to do one mid-April. I am so proud of how hard he has been working, and I know he will do great. I am going to go for my personal best time for a 5K so that means under 27 minutes.
This next month, I am going to run farther, run a little harder, and run a little faster. I think if I do these things, I’ll be able to reach my goal. I reached one this week I never imagined myself reaching, and it is just the start.
Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.
Try to be better than yourself.
–William Faulkner