6 miles+hooded sweatshirt=lesson learned

it has been awhile since i went running. the women's half marathon was over labor day weekend (race review to follow at some point) but my knee was really mad at me after that so i took a break. then my brain was filled with excuses so...it's been awhile. 

every day for the last 2 weeks my intentions were to run at lunch. this would give me at least 30 minutes to crank out a decent run...but that has yet to happen. so yesterday i said...it's time!i've never been a stylish runner. no matching shorts and shirt or socks even. and given the nature of my living arrangement, i'm just lucky when i find any piece to the running puzzle. it was chilly yesterday and i'm kind of a wimp when first starting out so a bulky hooded sweatshirt and some capri athletic pants seemed like a good combo.i had almost forgotten what my new runners looked like

mizunos are great. anyone with a narrow foot, i strongly recommend trying some out. i want to get the 'racing' flats which felt great but figure one pair at a time until i can really commit to running consistently. 

moving on.... as i stepped into the brisk autumn air, i felt good and ready to get some miles in. my focus is usually time. my theory is...if you can train yourself to go hard for a certain amount of time, you can usually go further than you would have if you had just set a distance. ultimately you need to do both...so that you can in fact go the distance, but honestly...i've never followed a specific incremental plan since team in training (which ended up with me being injured) and i find that there are more important forms of training...

yes, you have to get the long runs in but i say hills and interval training are ESSENTIAL. hills make any flat course feel like you are an olympian. intervals make me very irritable while i'm doing them but ultimately they teach me a new threshold. this is a good thing. 

wow, that was a tangent. fortunately it was related. ok, so i start to run. knowing that i should go pretty easy i tried not to focus on my pace because that is immediately discouraging. so, i start out. 

and run for about 7 seconds...

when my earphones fall out. ok. adjust and continue. hmmm, this sweatshirt is awfully bulky. no need to turn around. it's added weight, right? it will make my run even more challenging. ughh, my lungs were already burning. it was important for me to remind myself that i have been battling a cold and being stuffed up doesn't promote breathing easily...especially when your heart rate is elevated. 

perhaps this is an excuse but i was trying to be nice to myself...because i was already irritated. i took a right at prescott and jogged to the school, where i turned left then stopped and stretched. dear goodness i was struggling. and that damn sweatshirt. i continued and cut through the park. and that is where i thought...i'm only a mile in i should turn around and drop the sweatshirt off at the house and then carry on. 

but decided to take it off and see if i could tie it around my waist. that worked...well, it worked like a spare tire does. it did the trick but not a long term fix. 

as i was trying to control my thoughts because they were all over the place i realized that what i was wearing was "comfortable" and comfortable doesn't tell your body to run...it tells your body to curl up on the couch. thinking you are going to run fast wearing this is like telling yourself that you look cute and sexy when you crawl into bed with sweatpants and your beloved t-shirt from high school. granted, i'm not saying it isn't comfortable...and most people ARE more attractive when they feel relaxed and at ease...but let's face the facts, if i want to run with a goal in mind, i need to dress the part. not meaning i have to get all business proper when i run and match and sport the latest and greatest moisture wicking gear but i do need to dress myself so that i'm not bothered by my wardrobe. it is an unnecessary distraction. 

eventually i was able to make peace with the giant wad of fabric dangling from my waist and the ipod pinching my finger...i had planned on doing 3 but per the usual...that didn't seem like enough. i figured i would go no longer than an hour...i told myself to walk some...but i didn't for more than a few seconds at a time. i just feel like a failure when i can't keep going, even though i know my knees are really depending on me to be diligent in caring for them. my whole body is. so i tried to go until my knee started to hurt...and i would then walk and start back up. my pace was slow. 10 minute miles but there had been a little walking which helped me explain this to my ego. i've never been a fast runner, so i'm not sure what i was expecting.
dear emilee, just chill out already.

6.01 miles

1 hr 38 seconds

509 calories burned

i need to commit to stretching and rolling out my legs. this will pay off in th end, i have no doubt. 

my hips are awfully sore and tight today which is to be expected. tomorrow i will run again and i will just keep building. my goal is big and i only have until 12.12.10.