WOW! I am blown away by all the, been there done that, know someone who succeeded, comments I got on my sister and E Harmony...Thank you, thank you for taking the time to comment!! This really gave me and my sister hope and took away a little of the weirdness I think...Y'all rock:) I will keep you all updated as she meets people and hopefully finds her man!
Now to talk about my favorite subject. Running! This week has been enjoyable and perfect for it. It is definitely Fall because the air is cool and crisp and gorgeous. Amazing for hitting the pavement hard. Last night I went to a new spot that has been hidden from me this entire time and that I will definitely be revisiting. Its so charming and fun! There's a beautiful lake with geese and ducks and cute southern gazebo's all along the paved trail...I'm a sucker for looking out over water while the sun sets, so running there last night made me smile the entire 5 miles:) Yup, I said it...5 MILES!!! I have never ran 5 miles in one swoop ladies and I am so proud of myself! I recently bought another pair of shoes though, so this could be the reason that I'm not stopping at 3!?!?! I am in love with these shoes and will, for now on, be a loyal user of Asics. This morning I felt no pain in my shins or in my usually achy knees; nothing but sore well used muscles:)
I love how Danica over at Chic Runner does a break down of each mile so I will attempt to do the same...However she just has a gift for making each mile sound so interesting:p
Mile 1, I'm finding, is always the hardest...My legs are cold and not wanting to turn over and it just plain sucks. Its doesn't help that, where I live, there is a rather large hill to crest before I can get out on the main road. Don't even get me started on my lungs at this point, pah! I have yet to run up that thing and still have my breath about me...My sister went along this time though, so we drove to the spot skipping that killer hill altogether:) Even still, on mostly flat ground, my legs were not wanting to cooperate. It really gets you nervous thinking, this is going to be long and painful! But I was wrong on this occasion!
I loved mile 2! My breathing was steady and I was feeling just as grounded with each step. There were a lot of other runners, walkers and baby strollers out enjoying the gorgeous day too. The problem was they were going every which direction so sometimes it really messed with my groove, having to stop or jog in place until they passed or I could get around a large group.
Mile 3 I started feeling the strain in my calves so, for no more then one minute, I stopped and stretched them out against a tree. I remember the stretch burning like crazy! It seriously felt like my legs was on fire but I took off running just the same.
I caught up with M, rounding into 4, telling her I was going to finish it and try for another. She looked shocked because 2 days prior I ran 4 miles and had a really rough time. But I was feeling good! My legs were warm and wanting more so I wanted to see how far I could push. Obviously I finished that mile and made my way into 5, but not before stopping again to stretch.
Mile 5 was the toughest. My hip flexors were really screaming at this point and my breathing was getting quick and unsteady. To say it was hard to finish, that would be an exaggeration, but it was harder then the rest. I really do not know where the energy and stamina came from to run 5 miles but it felt amazing! The entire time was so much fun. I love that I pushed myself that far simply for this feeling of accomplishment! Once I stopped I could really feel where I went my furthest. My hip flexors where rusted up, and my calves felt like I was sporting rocks in them, but I was one happy girl:)
It is exactly 11 days until race for a cure and I'm feeling better about it! I really do not care if I run the fastest, I just want to finish without having to stop:) We are flying out on the 8th, so 2 days before the race. I did have one question that I hope someone can answer. I have heard some of you girls mention "tapering" what is that exactly??? I think its where you basically do nothing a week before your run??? Please correct me if I'm wrong! Because that just doesn't sound right to me...Also, is it necessary for a 5k? Keep in mind that I'm not a distance runner, yet, so a 5k will definitely take it out of me. Especially in Arizona heat...Not sure what kind of route we're running yet either i.e hilly or flat. I'm hoping for flat!
Ciao for now:)
P.s. Only one more mile, to make six, which means I'm on my way to getting that Garmin 405! Yippee! Should be just in time for my birthday, *hint hint* hubby;)
That's great that you're still running!!
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