9 Miles!!

I just wanted to quickly update my 3 readers (are there even that many?) that I did run 9 miles this past Saturday! It was insane but awesome! Last week I ran 8 which was the most I had ever run, but it was on a treadmill. On Saturday I ran 9 miles on hilly, muddy trails. And I ran the entire way! After mile 7 my feet and legs started to feel sore, but I realized that you get to a point where it can't get any worse and it's not bad enough to stop. I really feel confident that I could successfully complete a half marathon! And after running 9 without collapsing, I feel good about the race this weekend. I'm just going to take it slow and carry gatorade. I'm still going to the track tomorrow but I'm going to talk to the coach and find out if he thinks I should do the full workout or just take it easy. I'm very excited!!

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about." ~PattiSue Plummer

"Games require skill. Running requires endurance, character, pride, physical strength, and mental toughness. Running is a test, not a game. A test of faith, belief, will, and trust in ones self. So hardcore that it needs a category all to itself to define the pain. When game players criticize, it's because they aren't willing to understand, not because they're stronger. Running is more than a sport; it's a lifestyle. If you have to ask us why we run, you'll never understand, so just accept." ~Jessica Propst

Updates!!

I was in Seattle for 4 days and then we moved out of our new apartment so things have been a bit crazy. I do have great updates though. Tuesday Sept. 16, we did mile repeats at the track. So we ran 1 mile at normal pace, 1 mile as fast as we could, and 1 mile at race pace. The coach timed our fast miles and she really wanted us to just go for it. I have never ran so fast in my life! I clocked an 8:27 mile!!! I couldn't believe it was under 9. When we ran mile repeats in the last program, my fastest was around 9:45. I obviously couldn't keep up that pace for an entire race, but it feels good to know that I can do it at all. I'm getting faster and stronger and it's awesome!! My army 10-miler is next Sunday and my coach suggested I run 8 miles last weekend, 9 tomorrow, and then the 10 next week. You're supposed to gradually decrease your mileage before a race but because I'm not planning on going all out, I can treat it as a training run. Last weekend we were in Seattle and I went to the gym Sunday morning. I've never run 8 miles before so I knew it wouldn't be easy, but on a treadmill it's even worse. I was planning on running 4 in the morning and then 4 in the afternoon to make it easier. Well I know myself and I knew that I wouldn't want to go back later after walking around the city all day so I ran the 8 miles all at once in the morning. I did stop halfway to go to the bathroom and get a snack, but that only took about 15 minutes. That's the most I've ever run!! I felt good for most of the run, but the last couple of miles were a little hard. Tomorrow I'm planning on running 9- yikes!! But at least I'll be outdoors and with my group so it won't be as boring. I'll let you know how it goes!!

20 days!!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update. There isn't much- Tuesday September 2 we did a hill workout instead of going to the track. It was rough; the assistant coach, Juliette, had us run up a fairly long hill 10 times. She estimated the hill to be about a quarter mile from bottom to top. It felt good to do something different and I was definitely glad when it was over!! I missed that Saturday's run due to the weather, but Sunday we went to the zoo and did a lot of walking. It's not the same as running but it's still something.

This past Saturday I ran 6 miles with the group. My race is only 3 weeks away and I haven't built up my mileage enough. This weekend we're going to be in Seattle but somehow, somewhere I'm going to fit in an 8 mile run and the next week drop back down to 5 or 6 and then do the race. It's going to be tough, especially since I've been having some soreness in my shins and calves, but I'm going to do it regardless. I just hope my body can hold on for another few weeks!