I have been doing some thinking about the amount of running I have been doing and decided I need to suck it up and run more often. It is hard because I like to lift and usually I refuse to lift and run on the same day. But I have been focusing a lot on my upper body these past couple months, so I decided that this week I am going to chill out a little on the lifting and run MORE.
The plan for Tuesday was to run for an hour. I wasn't going to worry about mileage or pace. All I needed to do was run for an hour without stopping.
I reached my goal, but it wasn't pretty! I didn't feel good at all. I mean, after the first two minutes, the whole thing sucked.
Yah, if something was chasing me on this run, I would have LOST. Big time.
Yah, if something was chasing me on this run, I would have LOST. Big time.
Here's why it sucked:
1. It was REALLY FREAKING HOT OUT! The real feel temperature was 95 degrees and I picked a route that had no shade. This was my own fault. I could have picked a shadier route or *gasp* got up earlier. But I didn't.
2. It was Day #1 of my period, AKA the day everything aches. My back felt tight and all I wanted to do was streeeeeeeeeeeeetch.
3. My knee felt weak from the get go. This is strange because usually my knee feels strong while I run. I think it was still recovering from walking all around DC the day before. Walking really bothers my knee.
There were some good parts about my run...
1. Hydration! I took water with me so I could stay hydrated.
2. I changed up the route. Even though the route was sunny, it was different from my normal neighborhood run, so I had fresh scenery.
3. I passed a piece of cake. It was laying in the grass! WTF!?
Have you ever seen such a perfect piece of chocolate cake just laying on the grass!?
4. I finished without giving up. The grand total was 7 miles @ 8:59 pace. I know that's a little over an hour of running but when you only have to run a couple more minutes to make it an even 7 miles, it's hard to stop!
That mileage at that pace was an effort. I should have gotten up earlier and run when it was cooler. So I'm not leaving myself off the hook! Tomorrow, I plan to run the same mileage but I am going to get it done before my first piano lesson of the day. Which means I'm going to have to be out on the road by 6:30! Do you think I can get up that early? We shall see!
Do you ever run for time, not mileage?
Who else gets lower back period pain? All I want to do the whole first day is just bend over. All day.
That cakes cracks me up! One time when I was running someone drove by w/ a gallon of milk on top of their car and about a block ahead of me it went crashing down (bummer)! Sometimes I think I just need to ditch the Garmin and run for time but "not knowing" how far I actually went (and my pace even though I don't care about pace and often times want to slow down to make it an easy run) would kill me.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are up by now!! And getting ready to run. Enjoy it.
Aw man milk is so expensive, I would be bummed if I lost my milk! I know what you mean- Garmins give us great information, not just for the hard runs but for the runs that are supposed to be easy too!
DeleteUsually the morning before my period starts my back starts killing me. I have been on runs when it is all I can think about and really makes me want to stop running. Nice job pushing through- I know that usually after a run my back feels better! I think that building mileage is so mental..in a few weeks 7 miles will feel like nothing!
ReplyDeleteI hope it feels like nothing soon! I agree it is mental. I think once I just DO it a couple times I will know in my heart that it's something I can handle.
DeleteHahaha, that cake! So tempting...lol.
ReplyDeleteMy first day of period sucks! I hurt everywhere, especially my back, boobs and belly. So all that pavement pounding sure feels awesome, NOT. I totally cannot get up early this summer. At all. I blame Lola for being such a good bed buddy.
I would never get out of bed if I had Lola to cuddle with!
DeleteUgh sounds like your first day of your period suuuuucks. My boobs have never hurt. I don't even know what that would feel like.
I have been getting up early to go running, and I can honestly say it is worth it. It has been cooler and it is nice to feel so accomplished at 7am!! I gave piano lessons yesterday, and had a speed work session beforehand, and I kept on apologizing for getting water during the lesson...I felt a little like George in the Seinfeld episode where he showers before he has time to cool off from the gym...
ReplyDeleteI agree about how could it actually felt to get done early! This run was Tues, so yesterday I got up early and ran before lessons. Oh my word was I a bubbly teacher HIGH on running endorphins!
DeleteI can't believe you ran 7 miles in the heat and sun! I can barely make it through 2 right now. I think if I was long enough into a run I might have stopped to eat that cake. Especially if I was marathon training...
ReplyDeleteWell remember I did it but the whole thing sucked haha.
DeleteI didn't know what the cake was supposed to represent. Was it saying "Look at the type of junk you can eat after your run!" or was it saying, "Come on Megan, 7 miles should be a PIECE OF CAKE for you!" haha
I love the pics. I'd run fast if I was being chased by a monster too.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of the weirdest thing I've seen on a run. I'm in NYC and some strange things happen here. Maybe the man I saw wearing a wig and and a woman's 2 piece bathing suit, riding a bicycle, with a puppy in the bike basket. That was pretty weird but it might not even be the weirdest.
lol that is awesome! The puppy in the basket is the icing on the cake! I am sure you see a ton of weird stuff in NYC. :)
Delete95*...really?!?! Lol...I always look at running in the heat as endurance training. Like training at altitude. It will help a ton when the weather cools down.
ReplyDeleteI've seen random hygiene products, not cool. More often than not I run for distance rather than time.
That is a really great way to look at it. We will all BQ come winter, right??
DeleteEwww "random hygiene products". Reminds me of the last time my hubby and I walked together. I spotted a condom! Ewww!
That is totally weird that you saw cake on the grass. Wtf. I remember during a super long run I thought I saw a jellyfish on the side of the road but it turned out to be a piece of kleenex in a puddle. I'm super smart like that. I recently saw a really nice pair of Silver jeans lying in a heap on the sidewalk of a really nice neighborhood. I just hope that whoever was wearing them was in control of the situation. :(
ReplyDeleteEw.. aww I hope so too. :(
DeleteThat cake - so weird and random. But funny!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't run for time since my very first running days, when my workouts consisted of "run 20 minutes without stopping". Once I could run over 3 miles I started doing 100% distance and never looked back. Trying to run by time now that I'm so used to distance would be a total head trip for me. I hate it because you can make miles go by faster but you can't make an hour go by faster. Plus I'm way too anal about wanting exact mileage.
"You can make the miles go faster but you can't make the time go faster" <--- haha so true!
DeleteClearly I still have a thing for exact mileage too because I just had to go a couple more min so my Garmin would say 7.00 :)
I'm glad you did the seven miles even if it was hard. It's like you said to me the other day, after one or two bad runs, a really good run is right around the corner! I'm sure the heat had A LOT to do with the run sucking. I find every step of a run miserable when the sun is shining down hard.
ReplyDeleteI usually run for distance instead of time, but sometimes when a certain distance seems intimidating I break the run down into time increments and that helps. You know, "run for 30 minutes and then take a water break" or "run for one hour and then take a stretching break." Those time increments really help me mentally make it through super long runs.
Oh the mental games we play with ourselves! That's kind of what I was doing- playing a mental game. 7 miles seemed daunting to me. But saying 1 hr didn't for some reason. One of my mantras is "X more minutes. I can do ANYTHING for X more minutes."
DeleteWhen I run with my fast marathon friend, he always wants to run for time because that's what they did in college. This is bad because we always get to a certain time and then decide it's worth it to keep going for a certain mileage. We really are runners. Congrats on running for an hour! The week before my period is always the worst for my running. I notice that the day it starts, I am the best runner ever!
ReplyDeleteSame thing I did haha- go for time then round out the mileage!
DeleteWow it is so weird how everyone's body is different. I don't feel any different before I get my period, it's just like the first two days. Well, you know when to time your races I guess!
Congrats on your mileage. I should start getting up earlier to beat the heat but I'm that foolish one running at noon. During my run I wonder why I do that to myself.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, that is me 90% of the time!
DeleteI did wear good shoes! You would think I would feel fine. I am usually always barefoot/socks around the house. Sometimes flip flops.
ReplyDelete