Week 5, Day 2

Week 5, Day 2
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I'm pretty sure you can deduce how I felt before the run -- very apprehensive, and well aware of the rain and cold that crept back in. (Although, I still contend that cold drizzle is the absolute BEST to run in. I haven't enjoyed warm weather runs nearly as much as cold weather runs).

So here was the schedule:

5 minute warm-up walk followed by:
Jog 8 min
Walk 5 min
Jog 8 min
Walk 5 min

After the Run:
Well, as usual, I stuck to the roads since it was raining. I figured I was done for -- finished -- defeated.

I started out up the big hill for my warm up, and nearing the top I decided I'd go out on the main road and down a parallel street to ours, and through the back roads to our neighborhood (I was mentally picturing less hills). So that is what I did -- running some in grass, and dodging cars. There was a hill that was a little steeper than I remembered, but not too long in distance. I went back afterwards and checked the distance in my car -- 0.7 miles in 8 minutes.

Yup, that's right. I jogged eight minutes. I am a MACHINE. I still haven't reached a mile, but c'mon. EIGHT MINUTES. As usual, right around the third minute I was thinking how UN-fun running is. It always gets me right around the start. But once I got into it, and at the end of the first 8 minute run I felt like I could have kept going.

The second 8 minute jog was typical too of my previous days -- around the last 1 - 1.5 minutes I have to dig -- I focus on the ground and just pull all I have out of me. But when it was all said and done, I felt fantastic. I actually felt fantastic through the whole run. But I kept thinking, this must be the one in five Erich was talking about.

What can I say, I couldn't stop smiling for about 15 minutes after I got home. I think my lungs are finally clearing up from the crud, and I'm back on my way.

But 20 minutes..... ????????

(Oh, merely having the nerve to leave my neighborhood actually showed confidence that I could get back home in decent shape. And when I walked up our driveway, today was the first time my legs didn't hurt when I got to the top wooooo hoooo!)