10 Miles: Surprisingly Easy

I started this week fresh and anew.

Our engagement party on Friday night proved to be a little too much fun, and I was struggling all day on Saturday, feeling the lasting effects. I was supposed to run 10 miles, but the morning passed, the day went on, and I kept actively replacing the run in my mind throughout the day: after JW's concert, after dinner with friends, after we got home, that I would do it on the treadmill... I finally had to accept that running had officially left Saturday's agenda, and I would have to put it off for Sunday.

Even after my post yesterday, telling myself that it was okay if my plans changed, I still struggled with the feeling of being disappointed in myself for not just sucking it up and doing it. I was still struggling with allowing myself to recognize that I needed another rest day.

So, this morning, I set my alarm for 5:30, and reset it for an hour later. I work up at 6:30 feeling refreshed and ready. But I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous.

My fuel: a Think Thin Crunch bar, chocolate dipped mixed nuts. Yum! I also ate two Clif Shot Bloks: one at mile 3, and one at mile 6.

I got to the park a little before 7, and started my run slowly. I wasn't sure what my goal was - when I started, it was definitely just to finish. As I ran, I started to slowly speed up - my average speed, which I'm told every hour by my Nike Running app, was slowly decreasing. I decided to try and see if I could get the time to get smaller and smaller by every mile, but not to push it too much.

I ended up succeeding! Though it doesn't necessarily mean negative splits, I got pretty damn close. I can officially say that my body is used to conserving energy for the last couple of miles- hoorah!

During the run, I kept being surprised at how fast the miles were going by. I swear I would think that I'd have at least another .25 miles to go, but then my app would come on and tell me that I'd completed yet another mile. I love that feeling! I don't know what kind of mental state I was in, but I hope to duplicate it on the even longer runs. (Next week is 12 miles...ack!)

I felt good after the run - strong, and motivated. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun peeking out over the mountains behind me, and when I turned around, it hid behind the clouds to give me shade. The breeze was amazing, and I got to see a lot of people coming out for their Sunday morning walks. I really do like the mornings and need to remember that!

The rest of today was spent being lazy and attempting to eat not crap foods... even though I still ended up eating two halves of a Cupcake Royale cupcake. And Chipotle. OH WELL. C'est la vie! I ended today with rehearsal that got cut short, a FaceTime call with the future in-laws, and a short marathon of Friends episodes.

I'd say it's been a good day. :)

JW's starting Insanity today: ever tried it?