A Week Off Indeed

Sunrise on Nantasket Beach, MA

 It turns out that I took a week and a day off from running (so far).  I did go for a walk on the beach one morning during the trip and did a whole bunch of walking around Boston, so I'm relatively content with that.  I kind of have to be though, there's no turning back time!  I'm a little worried now though because of just how easy it was for me to take that week off.  Naturally, I had some guilt early on, but now I'm just kicking back and thinking about how nice it is to not run right after work.  Hmm...something tells me I should probably start getting up and running before work so that I can avoid this feeling in the future.  (I think I'll make that my new routine.) 

Every now and then throughout the past 3 months of running, I get into a rut.  I get bored and just kind of don't want to keep doing it.  At these points, I find that changing up this routine makes it easier for myself to keep going.  I fancy myself a creature of habits and routines, I like them very much.  They make me comfortable.  However, I apparently also get restless at times too.  Making subtle changes to my routine: changing the route, trying the new trail, playing tennis, putting new music on my running mix, almost any little change helps get me out that door.  So for now, I guess, my change of routine will be to start running in the mornings.  This will also help allow me more time in the evening to finish up my grad school application and study for the GRE that I'm taking in less than 2 weeks.   

Lately I've been thinking about life beyond the half marathon.  Wondering what I'll do with myself once I check that item off my life's little 'to do' list.  At first I thought, 'Well, I'll just sign up for more half marathons, of course!'  But, I'm coming to the very likely conclusion that I don't altogether enjoy running distances very much.  Maybe this will change (I'm hoping this will change!), but if it doesn't, I think I'll probably keep my runs to about 3-4 miles at a time for the health benefits and just be happy with that.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't like this feeling that I'm letting myself off the hook so easily.  However, I'm still going to run, I'm just not going to be training on a rigid schedule and running as far.  I'll run to be fit and I'll run for enjoyment and that's all that matters anyway.  I'm sure I'll still do in-town 5K's throughout the year with my running pal Paula, but I think I won't sweat it so much after this half is done.  This is all up for reevaluation afterward, of course, but for now this is what I'm pondering. 

Side notes: I schedule the new IV infusion treatment for my MS.  I'll be going in on Monday morning to get it.  I'm hoping it works fast because I've had numbness on my right stomach and trunk for over a week now and it's really driving me crazy!  It feels so weird when my clothes rub against my skin on that side, it's creepy and kind of hard to explain.  It kind of feels like that pins and needles sensation of a leg falling asleep, but it turns to pin pricks when touched directly.  Needless to say, I don't like it and want it to stop pronto! 

A Week Off, Maybe?

The title of this post should be, "See Steph Sit Around" but, I'm trying to be kind to myself.  I did get out and run on Saturday (a very rough 4 miles with a 28 min run segment at the beginning), which I was proud of myself for doing.  Not only was I contemplating putting the run off until Sunday morning, I was actually weighing the pros and cons about putting it off altogether for the weekend.  It was tough though because I had to wait until around noon to get out there and it was quite warm, of course.  I was supposed to run 5 miles, but I was running out of energy so I cut it down by a mile.  I assumed, at the time, that I would just do a better job on my runs this week but it doesn't seem that way, at this point since I didn't do my run today like I was supposed to.  I'll be going out of town toward the end of the week, (Boston, yeah!!) so between preparations for that and trying to get my grad school application finished up, I'm not sure if I'm even going to have time to do much running.  I'm not going to let it stress me out either! 

Lastnight, I had a terrible dream (sort of) about the Disney half marathon and it definitely gave me a little bit of panic.  It was the first 'oh crap, what exactly did I get myself into with this Disney half marathon' dream that I've had.  (Hopefully the only one!)  Not fun!!  I think the increase in mileage is starting to worry me a little bit since I was kind of camped out around that 3 mile range for so long that increasing it is making me second guess myself and my confidence is flagging.  For this reason though, I will not let myself freak out about missing a week of running, if it ends up happening!  Get over it and move onto the next week, no big deal!!  I had an extra week built into my training anyway before the 15K, so it should be just fine!  Whenever I get back out there is just fine by me!  No panicking, no pressure, just fun!!     

Trail Run Part 2

After tennis yesterday, Rob asked if we were going for another tempo run today.  I quickly answered 'no' and told him that I had planned on doing a longer run today instead.  I lied, well, sort of.  I mean, I don't really like lying...but, at the time, it was easier than to admit to him that I can only take one of his tempo runs every two weeks.  They really are a great way to condition, but they also kill me!  And, to be fair, I did run longer today than my run on Monday...so, it wasn't completely a lie, right?

I hit the trail again today, eager to punish myself with some of those long, drawn out hills I mentioned in my last trail post.  This time, I was paying closer attention and I noticed the long drawn out, consistently climbing hill that I was running up before reaching the turnaround point.  I kept telling myself not to think about the steady incline, get lost in the music!  Relax your shoulders and neck, keep putting one foot in front of the other!  That's pretty much how I was even able to keep going.  It wasn't that I was tired, it was more that I know that if I allow myself to focus on the hill, then my mind will continue down that dark path and keep going with the negativity...and that won't get me anywhere!  I have to keep infusing my thoughts with some sort of positive energy to keep my legs moving!  It works really well for me, which is all that matters! 

I kept the trail greetings simple today, no double wave/smile/what's up nod/thumbs up/double dream hands/whatever.  Just a simple little 'hey' and a brief smile.  I did have a brief music breakdown where I went full-on air drummer along with the music I was listening to.  I was running next to a busy road and thought it must have been pretty funny to the cars passing slowly by.  There weren't as many people on the trail today.  I did run into a guy on one of these recumbent bikes.  I passed him while I was on my way up the hill and he was on his way down, he was just cruising, lovin' life.  For a moment I thought, "Man, wish I were that guy!  He looks like he's having so much fun, just laying back and relaxing!" but I just kept jogging on persistently.

Picture a Florida Gators flag instead of the fish thingy

 BY THE NUMBERS:

Total Distance: 4 miles, at least!
Total Time: 57 minutes
Longest Run: 32 minutes

I tried mapping out the trail before my run today to make sure that I hit the 4 mile mark.  It's tough to do from the satellite maps available since the trail is largely tree-covered and the trail kind of disappears into them.  But, I mapped the distance via guesswork as well as I could and I think I may have actually run an extra half mile.  I won't count it though since I don't know for sure.  I did pretty well in the long run segment and pushed myself to go almost 2 minutes longer than last time.  It's all about steadily building, right?  That's my goal!  The only problem was, once I stopped to allow myself a little walking break, I had a whole lot of trouble restarting again.  It felt like my legs were lead and my right knee was a little stiff and painful.  So, though I did try to run again after about 5 minutes, I didn't make it very far and probably ended up walking the last 3/4 of a mile or so.  That part is disappointing, but I guess my overall goal is just to run as far/long consistently as I can so I don't have to worry about the issue of restarting and then getting discouraged when I'm tired and have difficulty. 

I'm happy with how things went today!  It was tough for me, but I made a bit more progress and that's just fine by me! 

Favorite Running Mix Song of the Day: Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?"

A Lesson In Patience

Today was a recovery/40 minute cross-train day so I decided to play some tennis with Rob to avoid the boredom of walking.  I probably shouldn't say bad stuff about walking since that's where it all started for me and I should be kind of grateful, but I'm just too impatient.  This is actually a perfect segue into my other topic of discussion for the day...

While browsing around various running websites yesterday, I saw a banner ad for the upcoming Florida Hospital Marathon in December and I actually started thinking about trying to do it.  I got taken in by both my impatience and the fact that I'm incredibly gullible.  The ad noted that the course was "a completely flat 26.2" and the high temps would be at a max of 72 degrees: "The easiest race you'll ever run, Fast times guaranteed!"  I actually thought about doing it!  The thought: "Wait, this is a marathon!  A MARATHON!" was but a fleeting one for me. 

This leads me to the observation that I need to slow the heck down!  I am getting so far ahead of myself it's not even funny!  I've done a total of two 5K's and all of a sudden I think I could do a marathon by December??  What possesses me to think this way?!  Honestly!  It's the same way with the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and the Run To Stop MS Team!  I wanted to run that race so badly to support MS research, but I didn't think of the reality of having to raise $1,200 by January 3rd to be on the team.  Not only is it difficult to fundraise in general, but that's prime holiday time!  How did I think that I could make that happen in the middle of holiday season?!  This is exactly what I was talking about in an earlier post about finding something I'm interested in and putting myself 1000% into it.  There are no brakes with me, it's full steam ahead without regard to the pragmatism of the situation.  At least I've realized this now and can accommodate my thinking accordingly.

Patience is something I'm trying to learn through running.  I'm trying to teach myself to take the time to put the effort, heart and soul into something I really care about and watch it develop into something really beautiful and rewarding over time.  For once, I'm trying to make an earnest investment in myself and my well-being.  This is a valuable lesson in life and I think it's about time that I learn it!  So far, it hasn't been easy for me.  There are often times that I start running way too fast because I just want to get to the end of the block already and it comes back to bite me at the end of the run with much pain and frustration.  It's times like these that I try to gently remind myself to have patience, that I'll reach the end of that block eventually with a simple, steady gait and the end of my run will feel that much better for having held back. 

It's a tricky thing, this patience.  It's a balancing act.  On the one hand, you don't want to burn yourself out by going too fast too soon.  However, on the other hand, you really do want to keep improving your times and pushing yourself forward.  This is something I'm clearly still struggling to figure out, but I'll get there eventually.  Just have to have a little patience along the way!        

A Change of Scenery

The view for most of my run

Today's run is a perfect example of why I can use that Nike+ Sportwatch!  On my way home from work today, I decided that I needed to change my running route.  The 4 mile route near the house that I had mapped out last week was definitely not thrilling me.  So, in the spirit of the football season, I called an audible.  I decided to run along the West Orange Trail here in O-town.  The trail itself was pretty great, but it was the lack of distance markers that was a little frustrating for me.  That's why the GPS on the Sportwatch could've really helped me so I would know just how far I had run.  If I had that watch, I could just keep running along the trail without thinking about it until I saw the 4 mile distance indicator pop up!  Oh well, I tried to estimate the distance as best I could.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Total Distance: 4 miles?? (I hope?)
Total Time: 50 minutes
Longest Run: 30 minutes and 40 seconds

Running the trail was definitely a change of pace.  For one thing, I definitely had more to look at than I usually do just running around the neighborhood.  I mean, it was a veritable animal kingdom: I saw roosters, yes ROOSTERS!!!  So random!  I also had the pleasure of running alongside a couple of ladies riding horses. (Not so random, there's a horse trail that runs alongside the running/biking trail in that area.)  There were some dogs that were running alongside their owners.  All in all, it was just nice to see something different!

Today's plan was to run 4 miles.  Well, okay, to run/walk 4 miles.  As the numbers above indicate, I ran for a little over 30 minutes.  That wasn't an easy run for me either.  I kept having to convince myself to keep going.  The music wasn't inspiring me, I ended up running uphill the entire first half of my run, it was just tough.  At the beginning of the run, I started running faster than usual.  I wanted to try and lengthen my stride, to condition myself to run at a faster pace.  However, after a very short distance, I ended up reverting back to my former "comfy" pace.  While I wasn't content with this, I thought about it and realized that I wouldn't be able to keep that faster pace up for an entire 30 minutes or so and what I really wanted was to run the entire time, so I slowed down.

See? These ladies know what I'm talking about with the double-hand wave!
(Or maybe they're just doing the wave...hmm...)

As I was running, I thought it was funny that I got a chance to practice my 'trail greeting' to others passing by.  It's funny because I'd switch it up.  At first I tried the 'what's up bro' head nod and then the reverent/knowing head nod but I wondered if that just made it look like I wasn't really looking at the others on the trail.  I then changed to the double-hand wave, smile and a quick 'hi'.  After doing that twice, I thought maybe that was too much, too cheesy?  Then, I started to think...maybe I'm just thinking too much about this whole waving thing!  So, I just let it go and did whatever seemed to strike me at the moment.

NEXT RUN: Run for a minimum of 35 minutes, if not more! (Incidentally, I feel like this is a lame goal, by the way)

NEXT RACE: November 13th, Florida Hospital Celebration Founders' Day 10K & 5K

Greater Maitland 5K

The results are in for the race!  (Well, actually, they were in about 2 hours after the end of the race on Saturday...and I'm just slow to post this, but still!)  It was definitely a ridiculously soggy mess of a race!  When my alarm rang at 6:30am on Saturday morning, I slowly sat up and listened to the sound of the rain pounding onto the rooftop.  That's pretty much what I had been dreading since Thursday night when I started seeing news breaks indicating that there may be some 'major rains heading our way'.  I tried convincing myself that if I didn't listen to the weather reports, it wouldn't happen.  I could squeeze in my 5K before the worst of it started...little did I know!  It was pretty well torrential and I kind of thought it was going to be miserable, but it actually wasn't bad! 

Not having run in the chilly rain before, I wasn't really sure what to wear.  (Yeah, yeah, yeah, such a girl, I know!)  I figured I'd just wear a light rain jacket and call it a day.  If it weren't for the fact that I was worried about my iPod getting wet, I probably wouldn't have worn a rain jacket at all.  But, I don't have the money to replace a water logged iPod, so I figured I needed to go ahead and protect the hardware I've got!

Flashing my bib number

Standing at the starting line, I noticed there weren't a whole lot of people like there were at the 9/11 5K.  I thought maybe it was the rain that discouraged people from showing up, but I didn't really care.  I was just happy to think of how open the race course would be!  Rob snapped a couple shots of me waiting to start and then walked up to the side of the start line and I tried to just concentrate on relaxing, having fun and not allowing myself to get too carried away in the adrenaline rush.

As the horn blew, I definitely felt that rush and I tried to just let myself go with it a little bit but not to let myself get caught up in it.  I needed to make sure to not get ahead of myself early in the race so that I would suffer later on.  I think I did a pretty good job of this since I felt good pretty much the entire race. 

Going into the race my goal was to try and run the entire thing.  Well, I'm sorry to say, I wasn't able to do that.  However, I ran all but about 5 minutes of it.  That felt pretty good though, especially since there were a few pretty long and pretty nasty hills involved.  The race was an out and back, which meant that you ran out to a mid-point and then back along the same course.  This wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that you encountered the downhill segments in the first half of the race and so you knew exactly what to expect on the return trip!

I forced myself to run as long as I could, which ended up being less than my longest run time in the evenings (probably a total of about 26 minutes), which was a little disappointing.  I let myself walk a couple minutes to catch my breath a bit and then ran a few more minutes up the hills before walking a bit more.  I finished strong though with a pretty decent 6-7 minute run segment and I tried to kick it out at the end to finish a little faster. 

My official race time was: 38:37

Official race time for 9/11 5K: 39:41

This means I bettered my 5K time by about 1:04, which I should be happy about and I sort of am I guess.  I mean, I am.  I just know I can do better and I should do better.  While I was very comfortable running this race (even despite the ever-present rain), I don't think I should be content with just being 'comfortable'.  I think I should really push myself and that's where the mental aspect comes in.  Also, I think I really and truly need to work on lengthening my stride more and I'm not entirely sure how to do this.  I'm not quite sure how this happened but I'm pretty sure my running stride is barely more than a shuffle, which I think sucks.  I need to research how to flush this out because I really don't like running like a granny at the races just to be comfy.  I'd rather go for it and run like an actual athlete!

No, that's not sweat, it's rain! :-)

The race went great though, I have to be happy with the outcome!  I ran an entire minute faster than my first 5K and I almost was able to run the entire way!  Also, my 1 mile split time was about 11:30, which is definitely a personal best for me!  The rain didn't even come close to dampening my spirits and I finished in a great mood!  It was Saturday at about 8:15am, I ran 3 miles and I still had the rest of the day and weekend ahead of me!  

   

After the race, Rob and I went into the gym where all the food and festivities had been moved.  There, I enjoyed what was probably the best tasting smoothie of my life.  I'm sure it was the fact that I 1) just finished a 5K at my best time, 2) was out of the rain and 3) hadn't had any breakfast yet.  Whatever the real reason, that thing was so good, I had two of them!  Yum!  I love me some smoothies (though I rarely have them)! 

Before the race: Test shot that happened to catch my nice straight hair...

Interesting thing about the rain and the coldish weather, it does funny things to my hair.  I started the race with very straight, smooth hair in a ponytail and ended up looking like a got a perm mid-race.  Seriously, it was insane!  I didn't even realize it until I got home and went to shower!  Then I told Rob he had to take a picture of my curly hair, it just had to be documented! 

After: Did I get a perm?  I don't remember stopping at the salon...

So, there you have it: my race summary!  Great race and definitely one I'll do next year!  The hills were kind of rough, but the course was really nice!  Though the race was only about 10 minutes from our house and I used to work in Maitland (for about 2 years!), I didn't even realize all of those houses were back there and they were really nice!  There was this really cool lake to run along and it was just, well, peaceful.  I don't know if it was because of the rain or what, but the race was just really calming.  Race 2 under my belt and I'm definitely looking forward to the big one: Race 3: a.k.a. the 15K!!  At the end of the race as we were driving home, I just kept thinking: I'm ready to step up my training!  I'm ready to add more miles to my routine!  Let's go!

A Post on MS

It happened again...I received another postcard from the Mid Florida Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society offering me the opportunity to be on the Run To Stop MS team at the Walt Disney World Marathon.  This happened to be particularly poignant timing since I just met with my neurologist today to discuss new treatment options for my MS and the option we decided on kind of scares the crap out of me.  All of the things she kept telling me about: that I need to think about a future with children and the quality of life I would have, the very real probability that I will end up disabled, etc...all of it was an all too real reminder of what I may one day be facing and it's frightening to think about.

In addition, this therapy option is frightening too.  Currently, I'm on a platform therapy that doesn't seem to be modifying my relapses enough as I've had several additional enhancing lesions on my last MRI, after being on this treatment.  So she decided that I needed a change and gave me two options: either the new daily oral medication that just came out or the monthly IV infusion.  The IV infusion is a nice alternative to what I do now as I'll only have to go once a month to the doctor's office for a couple of hours to get the infusion done.  As it stands now, remembering to take my three shots per week is a little sketchy.  Also, it's become quite the pain in the butt for me, for some reason.  Needless to say, the infusion will be a welcome change.  The treatment scares me though.  Though the findings aren't clinically significant, there have been patients who developed PML from this treatment, a disease that isn't reversible and is either severely debilitating or lethal.  That is the scary part for me!  The 'what if' factor will always be there!

All of this emotional stuff leads me back to the race.  I really want to sign up and join.  I feel really strongly about being part of the MS community and getting involved to help raise awareness and funds for it.  In a way, my quality of life kind of depends on it.  I think it would be amazing to combine two things that I care very much about and it would certainly be an extremely emotional race for me to finish!  For that to be my first major race would be absolutely amazing I think.  I think I'll check on some more information about this to see what it's all about.  I'm not really even sure that I could swing it, financially, but this is something that's really important to me, so I would find a way!

In other news, I picked up my race packet today for the race Saturday!  I was really excited to see the tech shirt for the race!  The color is about as day-glo pink as you can get, but I love it!  (And I'm sooo not a pink person!)  The shirt is an awesome material and is really cute, so, yay!  I also got an Orlando Magic window flag for my car.  If the season ever starts up again, then I've got one to proudly display!

All set for Saturday and really excited to get going!  Can't wait!

Tempo Training (Take Two!)

Rob really kicked my butt today!  I asked him if he would work me out with some fartleks again and he ever so kindly obliged.  Y'know, I should really know better than to ask someone who's in WAY better shape to run with me...he makes it look so effortless!  Jerk.  (Just kidding!)

The back loop's reputation for being my favorite got a little tarnished today as the run was really challenging for me.  As I passed all the usual spots that would help me feel encouraged or lifted up in some way, I felt exhaustion and the ever present concern of "how much farther do I have to run at 70%"??  I don't think it helped that, since I was running with Rob, I didn't have any music to listen to.  Altogether, I think the tempo run went pretty well, but it certainly wasn't easy.  Rob definitely did his job and gave me one heck of a work out!!  When I got home, I could barely stretch I was so exhausted!  I had that sick feeling you get after a really tough work out, which Rob reassured me would leave me feeling better and stronger for my next work out.  I hope he's right!

NEXT RACE: 2 DAYS AWAY!!!

The Greater Maitland 5K is coming up on Saturday morning and Rob said he would come to take pictures again, which is really sweet of him!  I'm lucky to have such a supportive guy!  My goal for the race is to try and make a 38 minute time bracket (which means anything from 38:00 to 38:59).  Anywhere in there and I'll be happy with my results!  My alternative goal is to run the entire thing and go as slowly as I want to.  I'm not entirely sure which one I'm going to do yet, I guess I'll decide for sure on Saturday morning!

Lazy Bones

This is pretty much how I spent my evening yesterday...and I was darn glad to do it, too!  Yes, I did have a little bit of guilt about not going out to walk...but, what's done is done now!  I think the whole reason I didn't end up walking was because I get SO bored just walking anymore.  I tried to think of alternative cross training activities, but Rob didn't want to play tennis and I couldn't go for a bike ride.  My only option was Wii Fit and, well, I'll be honest: I don't really feel like that's much of a workout, despite me doing a bunch of reps and different stuff...I guess I'd just rather do nothing, which doesn't really make much sense!

The plan for today is to do another tempo run with Rob.  It will be 2.5 miles of total distance with about 2 of that being the run.  I'm taking him on my favorite back loop today, which I'm really excited about since he's never been back there before.  It's always kind of been my secret little place to run around and enjoy!  I'm looking forward to the run and mixing it up a bit today!    

This Is Why I Run

Truly, there are many reasons why I run.  However, today was the perfect example of specifically what I'm hoping to reach.  Hopefully it's just the beginning of what's to come for me!  I wish I had time to write this when I had just returned from running because it would be much more befitting of my mood afterward.  I'm not sure I can adequately describe it.  I was ecstatic, jovial, giddy...I was laughing and grinning from ear to ear.  When I was telling Rob about the run, I was like a schoolgirl describing her first crush.  I couldn't contain myself!  I was just SO overjoyed and excited and giggly!  I think I finally got a taste of that runner's high and do I ever want some more!  I mean, I've played sports most of my life, but I don't think I've ever worked this hard for anything athletic!  This is mine!  I'm doing it for me and it feels so rewarding!  This is why I run!

This week is a step down week for me so it's back to 2 miles, per Hal Higdon's 15K training schedule!  Since I'd worked up to consistently running a little over 1.5 miles, I thought I would increase the distance to a full 2 miles running.  I opted for a route where I could walk almost .5 miles to warm up and then just run the rest of the way until I was done.  When I created this plan, I honestly wasn't entirely sure that I would make it.  It can really be such a struggle for me, but the weather was nearly perfect today, the music was upbeat throughout and away I went!  As I neared the part of my run that I usually dread because I have the most difficulty there, today I was in the zone.  In addition to getting a taste of that runner's high, I also found that elusive 'zone out' mode that everyone talks about.  That time when you just get lost in your thoughts and forget completely about what you're doing.  Yes, your legs are moving, but your mind is elsewhere...miles and miles away.  It was sublime!  I finally felt that joy of running!  I had...(gasp)...FUN!!! 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Total Distance: 2.5 miles
Total Time: 35 minutes
Longest Run: 28 minutes/2.13 miles

5 minute warm-up walk
2-3 minute cool down walk

Today was a great day for running!  I only hope that I find more days like this in the future!!  (Especially as the miles start to stack up!)  It certainly gives me hope going into the race weekend!  The 5K this Saturday will be another test for me to overcome and today's run makes me feel like I've really prepared well for it!

Fall Has Arrived...for now at least...

If there's one thing I've learned from living in Florida all these years, it's never to take the first hint of cooler temperatures and lower humidity too seriously, it probably won't stick around for long!  However, for today at least, I had the pleasure of doing my morning run in about 65 degree temps and staggeringly low humidity!  It felt wonderful for a change and I spent much of my run through "the anchor" distracted by just how cool it was outside!  I had to stay at my parents' house lastnight, so I ended up finding a loop to run at their house.  Upon mapping the route, I noticed that the first leg of it looked distinctly like a boat's anchor.  So, there we go.  The only thing with the anchor, besides it being fantastically tree-lined and shady, is the large number of hills.  I had run this route once before and I guess it was long enough ago that I completely forgot about all of the hills the anchor holds in store.  Ugh.  But, I kept telling myself that these would make me a stronger runner and to just keep going!  And so I did!

BY THE NUMBERS:

Total Distance: 3.5 miles
Total Time: 1 hour
Longest Run: 22 mins/1.62 mi

Walk Break
2 more (approximately) .5 mi segments

The run today was sort of split up.  As usual, I did my 5 minute warm up walk and then ran my longest consecutive time of 22 minutes before walking again.  I'm not really sure how long my walking break was after that, I forgot to track it.  But I started running again once I hit the main road and ran for about .45 mi to the front of their subdivision and the tennis courts where Rob was playing with a friend of his.  This is where the run splits.  I stopped to watch them play tennis for a little while. (That's why my time was so slow today.)  When I started realizing how badly Rob was doing, I decided I better leave in case I was distracting him or something.  So, after a nice little rest break, I ran the rest of the way to my parents' house (about .6 mi).

Since starting to run these longer consecutive distances, I've noticed that I've had trouble starting to run again afterward.  I'm taxed and I have very little will to continue running again once my body has stopped.  However, today was different!  I'm sure this is entirely based upon the fact that the weather was perfect!  I found that I could restart and just kind of zone out and keep chugging along.  This is encouraging for the 5K next week.  While I have no illusions that I'll be able to run the whole way (if only!), my goal is to beat my chip time from last month's race.  I don't care if it's only by a few seconds, seconds count, y'know!   

With a great run under my belt, it's time to get cleaned up and enjoy this football Saturday!!  Saturdays are my favorite during football season, I can't get enough of college football!  While my Terps aren't much of a force, Rob's Gators are usually pretty fun to watch.  (At the very least, they don't make me want to smash my head against a wall like my beloved Terps do!)