3.93miles
See, now, as I’m typing this, I’m wishing I had run that little bit extra to at least make it 4 whole miles. That vacant 0.07 miles is annoying me. Excuse me while I just run up and down the stairs for a while…
… Back.
This morning’s run was quite good. I’m still finding it hard to keep going and not stop, but I did alright considering I haven’t ran at all since last Sunday.
Rachel, another Bangs on the Run girl, suggested we run along the river in Greenwich, near where our parents live. Nice spot, bright and open, and thankfully quiet on a Sunday morning. Obviously we came across loads of other runners though (or were taken over by them) and a couple of cyclists too, so we weren’t the only ones trying to make the most of the early start. We both find it really entertaining that runners like to nod and pant “morning” to you as they jog past.
Basically, we can establish that I run at a very slow pace. I’m averaging at about 11-12 minutes per mile. This would all be very well and good if at least I could run without stopping to walk, but this is not the case. I stopped around 4 or 5 times this morning to slow down and walk to stretch out stitches (NOTE: I do not ever stop to stand still, I do keep walking), and I felt bad because I was obviously slowing Rachel down and killing her stride (soz, babez).
Nothing dramatic happened this morning. There were no pools of blood or vomit so this morning I managed to focus on my pacing and breathing without much interruption. Of course, Rachel and I chat like the world is ending tomorrow, so I know I definitely gave my lungs a good work out.
Rachel is also a great coach. Even though she’s learning to get to grips with this whole running thing too, she really pushed me to work hard. She reminded me to lengthen my stride, focus on my pace and pushed me to sprint twice during the 50 minutes we were out running, including once up a hill. Afterwards, we stretched, did some lunges, squats and drank protein juice thingies that Rachel ‘borrowed’ from her gym buff brother. THIS is what they looked like. Needless to say, protein drinks taste vile, and this one (as long as you didn’t smell it) was like taking a rather amusing shot:
Rach’s encouragement was MUCH appreciated, because I still haven’t broken that wall yet where I enjoy running. I’m a bit worried to run on my own because I think I’m a social runner. When I run on my own I don’t push myself with much success. The running angel sits on one shoulder saying ‘GO GO GO!’, but I respond SO much better to the running devil who sits on my other shoulder saying ‘you should really stop now, this is getting ridiculous’.
Anyway, to cut a long BLAH short, today’s run was OK. I could have done better and I wish I did.
I need to run on Tuesday AND Thursday this week and not cop out like I did last week. I have Bootcamp on Wednesday and Friday morning and events that I am coordinating on both days which means I won’t leave work until at least 11pm on those evenings. It’s also my birthday on Friday. This week is going to HURT. I’m already so sleep deprived after a really stressful week, I literally don’t think I’m going to be able to stand by next Saturday. Apologies to my friends, but this week I’m out of social action, except to work and train.
