Week 1: Deciding to be smart about it

Two nights ago when I was running my 3 miles, I came to the realization that I'm not running to break any world records, let alone a PR. I'm running because I want to. I'm running because nothing makes me feel better about myself than just getting out there and sweating the minutes away. Every single time I run, I feel like I accomplished something big for the day.

When I thought about the main reason why I wanted to run my marathon, the main thought that came to mind was that I just wanted to accomplish something even bigger. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do what I thought was unthinkable back in 2005. I think running 26.2 is a huge ass deal and completing such a distance would make me feel even more like a fabulous superwoman. I'm running, simply because I want to see how far I can push myself and how well I can do it. I love personal challenges.

I just want to run to finish. This is my first marathon and it's not going to be in my back yard. I actually have to save up some money to buy plane tickets, a car rental, a hotel, food, souvenirs...let alone my race ticket. Eugene is going to take tons of commitment and dedication. I'm going to ensure at all costs that I train smart and avoid injury.

Therefore, I'm doing my training runs as I should be doing them...at marathon-pace. Although, it feels super slow to me I know it's going to pay off in the end. I don't want what happened to me after the ARR 30k back in 2006 to happen to me again. I'll be damned if I get injured. It was the suckiest feeling in the world and even worse-- it could have been avoided if I were smart about my running.

It was a little different running tonight without the added self imposed pressure on myself. I ran at a 12:15-ish pace and thoroughly watched my running form in the mirror. I paid attention to my breathing. I straightened myself up when I noticed I was begin to slouch. I practiced running efficiently without an exaggerating movements. It was a good run.

My plan had me running 4 miles. I did it all on the treadmill at a 1.0 incline. My speed ranged from 4.9 - 5.1 mph. I ran non-stop for about 2.85 miles and then stopped to stretch out a bit and drink some water. I took some deep breaths to shake out some anxiety and then hopped back on the treaddie. Finished out my 1.2 miles at 4.9mph.

I stretched as well as I could and exited from the gym smiling. My body felt good and it was certainly a different feeling from last week when I felt tired. I am noticing improvement and it's downright sweet!

Tonight's Numbers:
Running - 4.1 miles @ 12:00 pace