I was so tired Monday I barely made it through core class. Went to bed early and slept like a log. Got up Tuesday a whole new person. Hit the trail after work with Steve and really pushed hard because it was supposed to be a speed work out. Ran four miles hard. Felt great.
Trail running is different than road running. A good example is last Sunday at Lake Thunderbird at the end of the 8 miles I was coming to the trailhead to the finish and I was working hard. Pushing myself. Hard effort. I looked at my garmin and I was running a whopping 12:52 pace. That's right, a mile in 12 minutes and 52 seconds.
I came out of the trail onto the road with a quarter mile on pavement to the pavillion and the finish line. I backed off the effort, no longer pushing, pulled my belt pack off, and settled into my home-run trot. It was even a mild uphill slant. I looked at my garmin and I was running a 9:43 mile, and it was easy.
This pretty much sums up my life. If there is an easy way and a hard way, I will take the hard way.
New street running shoes, I needed to go a half size bigger and I have been running in Whitney's running shoes, as they are never worn for exercise, only worn as comfort and fashion so they had all their running mileage left and (truthfully? She has been wearing my black and pink Nike's so my choice was hers or shopping. I chose to wear hers. My feet are pretty easy going, as long as I stay out of the Newtons).
I tried on two pair, one shoe on each foot and then left on the pair that felt better. I ended up at Sports Authority trying on Brooks, Asics, Nikes, and Reebok, didn't buy anything. Even tried on some minimalist shoes, but the idea of feeling like I'm running barefoot through town just left me a little uneasy. Went to to Dick's and tried on New Balance and three styles of Mizuno's and ended up with these white ones on the left. Check out my tan line you can see right over the top of the shoe. SMH!
Friday I ran a new trail with Steve, Pawnee Prairie on the Southwest side of town. I liked it, but it was dusk, damp and the mosquitoes were out. Ticks are terrible right now, but they seem to prefer Steve while the mosquitoes dig my scent. I will run some of my training runs there again, it was a nice change of pace.
Saturday I had to cut my run short by a few miles. I forgot to take body glide and I hate chafing. So I ran twelve miles of the run and ran it as hard as I could. I made really good time. It was 60 degrees when I started, so that was a big change from the 92 degrees last weekend. It kind of felt like a survival run, I stopped and bought vaseline, but it just doesn't work as good as the body glide. I stopped for water several times, but didn't take anything for nutrition, so it was probably a good thing I cut it short.
Highlight of the run, I cut through the Walmart parking lot to avoid the traffic at the intersection and the stoplight. I ran past a man in a hoveround who asked if I wanted a ride and patted his lap.
I got asked this week what I'm trying to prove. NOTHING!!! I just want to do it. I proved everything I needed to prove in the first half marathon that everyone thought I couldn't do and the first marathon that ALMOST everyone thought I couldn't do. But ultimately, it comes down to this. I run because I want to. Because I enjoy it. Because I like it. Not to prove anything. Not to make someone feel bad about themself because they don't run. Not to inspire anyone. It's one thing I do for me. All for me.
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