Up until the beginning of November, I never really considered myself “slow.” But I have been running for over a year now and I still find myself at the end of the pack. The weekend of November 9th/10th I was beating myself up. A 2:35 half? A 1:12 10K? I have not run that slow in almost a year. I was angry at myself, because I know I can do better. But both runs I struggled.
November 8th, a cold fall day, I decided to take a stab at a run. I was running a half the next morning (the first long run since Hartford) and I wanted to know my body was ready. I headed over to my favorite (and only?) trail in town attempting to go as far as I could. I made it 0.6 miles before I had to walk.
The last time I was not able to run ONE mile was …. well … over a year ago. While running my lungs burned and burned. And I had learned my lesson about running in the cold. The week prior, I ran my fastest mile to date (8:20) in the cold temperatures. Though my lungs burned, I continued to run because I knew what I was capable of. After, I was almost certain my lungs were on fire. I had to walk the entire mile back to my apartment to recover. My lungs burned for quite some time after. I did not want this to be the same scenario.
At first I felt discouraged, but I quickly reminded myself that walking for a minute doesn’t take away from my workout. In fact, walking for a minute helped me catch my breath, making the rest of the run feel a lot better. My lungs did not burn as much and I was able to get into a groove I was comfortable with.
This small two mile run made me feel better about the next day’s half.
Roxbury Half Marathon (November 9th, 2013) – This fell on a freezing cold fall morning. The temperature was about 32 degrees, but for the most part, every runner was well prepared. This was the first run that I pulled out gloves for all season!
The run was small, no more than 100 runners, but the staff was so so amazing. About half of the course was trail running. So scenic.
November 8th, a cold fall day, I decided to take a stab at a run. I was running a half the next morning (the first long run since Hartford) and I wanted to know my body was ready. I headed over to my favorite (and only?) trail in town attempting to go as far as I could. I made it 0.6 miles before I had to walk.
The last time I was not able to run ONE mile was …. well … over a year ago. While running my lungs burned and burned. And I had learned my lesson about running in the cold. The week prior, I ran my fastest mile to date (8:20) in the cold temperatures. Though my lungs burned, I continued to run because I knew what I was capable of. After, I was almost certain my lungs were on fire. I had to walk the entire mile back to my apartment to recover. My lungs burned for quite some time after. I did not want this to be the same scenario.
At first I felt discouraged, but I quickly reminded myself that walking for a minute doesn’t take away from my workout. In fact, walking for a minute helped me catch my breath, making the rest of the run feel a lot better. My lungs did not burn as much and I was able to get into a groove I was comfortable with.
This small two mile run made me feel better about the next day’s half.
Roxbury Half Marathon (November 9th, 2013) – This fell on a freezing cold fall morning. The temperature was about 32 degrees, but for the most part, every runner was well prepared. This was the first run that I pulled out gloves for all season!
The run was small, no more than 100 runners, but the staff was so so amazing. About half of the course was trail running. So scenic.
Although the route was gorgeous, the continuos downhill from miles 2-5 really put a strain on my bad knees. I am only half upset about this, because running downhill is great (for many reasons). We ran down the trail and back again -- so all of that downhill, then turned into uphill (ouch)! Then we passed the start (and finish) line for a three mile loop.
The crowd was small at the start/finish line, but many did stay until the very last runner which was really nice to see. And the food/drink selection at the end was amazing. Portugese rolls? YES PLEASE!
The crowd was small at the start/finish line, but many did stay until the very last runner which was really nice to see. And the food/drink selection at the end was amazing. Portugese rolls? YES PLEASE!
(Portugese roll all over my pants)
I would definitely do this half marathon again!
Harvest Hustle 10K (November 10th, 2013) – This was not one of my best races, BUT it was an AMAZING race for some of my closest friends and for that I could not be any more grateful!
Carolyn –PR’d in her 5K and 10K time!
Brianna –Finished her first 10K!
After this amazing race, we celebrated, with fun pictures and a great diner breakfast! We laughed & laughed and had such an amazing time. Although this was not one of my best races, I had a wonderful time and the course is really awesome. Next year’s Harvest Hustle goal = under an hour!
Carolyn –PR’d in her 5K and 10K time!
Brianna –Finished her first 10K!
After this amazing race, we celebrated, with fun pictures and a great diner breakfast! We laughed & laughed and had such an amazing time. Although this was not one of my best races, I had a wonderful time and the course is really awesome. Next year’s Harvest Hustle goal = under an hour!
We will ALL also be running Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon together in February 2014!
And at the end of that weekend, as I iced and elevated my knees, I thought to myself … I am slow. But guess what? I am still a runner. I might be at the end of the pack, but I am still a part of the pack. And being at the end isn’t so bad …someone has to be, right?