Wednesday: 8 Miles (1:09:42)
If you have been following along, you know Monday is my rest day. This week however, I found Monday and Tuesday to be needed to adequately give my body the rest that it so desperately needed. I am not good at taking days off, I am learning that about myself, but also understanding that I am not a college kid that has the quick recovery time, though I would like to believe that I am. Skipping Tuesday’s run, I knew that I had to make the miles up and as fate would have it, Wednesday morning rolled around and I was unmotivated to run in the morning knowing that i would need to add those miles onto the Wednesday night run. Fast forward to Wednesday evening with a temperature in the 90’s and heat index hovering around 100 and I was set to tackle 8 miles. My goal was to get in 4 before the group started the run which would allow me to rest, rehydrate and hopefully find some additional mental fortitude to tackle the rest of the miles.
The first 4 miles, sucked. It was hot, my headphones were messing up and falling out and I had no water to rehydrate myself. After returning I quickly tried to rehydrate but found that I was sweating out what was I replenishing just as quickly. If you can visual a drowned rat in runners clothing, you have the accurate visual to describe the way I look and felt. The last 4 miles were logged with Chuck, Hanna, John, and Maria. I love these people, mild mannered, happy go lucky people that just enjoy being around each other. They most certainly helped me get through the last 4 miles with their conversations as I struggled to keep my shorts up as the sweat and made me appear as I was a backup dance in a rap video trying to hold my pants up. And with that visual, we end the post for today. :)
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:54
Mile 2: 8:19
Mile 3: 8:39
Mile 4: 8:40
Mile 5: 8:53
Mile 6: 8:47
Mile 7: 8:49
Mile 8: 8:35
Overall Time: 1:09:42 & 8:42 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart.”
Thursday: 3 Miles (25:43)
I strongly dislike running in my neighborhood. Not because of the neighborhood or traffic or anything else other than I have ran it so much, I know exactly where I am and it makes the time feel as slow motion while I run. The temperature and humidity were dreadful and though I had brought water just in case, halfway through the water was hot and didn’t help keep my body cool. With the first day of school officially over, I was already mentally exhausted which didn’t help with persevering when it became difficult, my mind had enough thinking for the day and my body was angry because of the heat and steps I put on it flying from classroom to classroom to assist teachers.
The best way that I can describe this run is, over. I need to become even more intentional with my hours of the day because I can not run in the evenings and maintain a successful training schedule.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:44
Mile 2: 8:38
Mile 3: 8:19
Quote of the Day:
“Running is nothing more than a series of arguments between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part of your brain that wants to keep going.”
Saturday: 10 Miles (1:22:27)
First and foremost, the pacing for today’s run is very discombobulated, if you couldn’t already tell. My goal was to start the day with the early morning running group, but it didn’t work out. When I arrived, I knew that I needed to get in some extra miles before the start of the 7 am group, so I took off down a familiar road that I knew I couldn’t get lost and wouldn’t be abducted, which clearly I don’t need to worry about the latter.
Because I had arrived at an odd time, I ran the first 4 miles solo, which was a blessing in disguise. I had a lot on my mind and the temperature was optimal, a divine intervention you might say and exactly what I needed to begin the day. I don’t recall much about the scenery while running, but I can say that my thoughts fueled my pace and though I don’t prefer that to be the case every time, it was nice to allow my frustrations to fuel my fire while I managed through my thoughts.
The next 5 miles were with Mark, which I always enjoy as our topics vary , but I also enjoy them nonetheless. The 5 miles had rolling hills throughout with sprinkler cool down but the coolest aspect of the run was watching all of the cyclists that were riding for a cause beside our route. A Tour De Lee’s Summit you might say, for an aspiring cyclist, meaning I would love to ride with others and not crash into them, it was a neat spectacle. As we arrived back to our original turn off point, I went in the opposite direction and decided that I would push myself and see what I could get my last mile completed in. With 10 miles this week, I knew I still had enough energy left in the tank to push myself, I just needed to get out of my own way. Luckily, as I turned around to head back another runner, Ashley, was finishing up with her run and I made it point to catch her as a way to keep myself motivated and to get back in the best possible time. Thankfully she was part of the early morning start group, so she was finishing up with her 16 mile, so I was able to catch her, but I’ll tell myself it was because I was actually faster, though not true, I like the sound of it.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:38
Mile 2: 8:13
Mile 3: 7:25
Mile 4: 7:08
Mile 5: 8:56
Mile 6: 8:39
Mile 7: 8:51
Mile 8: 8:28
Mile 9: 8:27
Mile 10: 7:33
Overall Time: 1:22:27 & 8:14 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.” ~ Elbert Hubbard
Sunday: 8 Miles (1:08:48)
After a tumultuous week adjusting back to my work schedule and attempting to continue to juggle what is life, this run was the least favorite of the week. With the 10 miler Saturday morning coupled with a volleyball tournament, my body was less than pleased to rise this morning. The pace maintained today is still below my goal for Baltimore, but I felt like death for the majority of the run. Fortunately, Hanna and I were able to run together and chat, which helped pass the time.
Reflecting over the mile by mile paces, I am beginning to see a consistency with my times rather than the roller coaster like pacing that i began with during the first few weeks of training. Though I felt less than stellar today, I was able to feel as though my body was on autopilot for portions of the race maintaining the consistent pace through the 8 miles.
Below is the breakdown of my splits for each mile:
Mile 1: 8:53
Mile 2: 8:37
Mile 3: 8:38
Mile 4: 8:27
Mile 5: 8:39
Mile 6: 8:18
Mile 7: 8:38
Mile 8: 8:30
Overall Time: 1:08:48 & 8:35 Pace
Quote of the Day:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right.” ~Henry Ford
Final Thoughts:
I am halfway to Baltimore and staring straight ahead to the 20 miler that awaits me next weekend. At the halfway point, I have logged 276 miles and am astonished at the growth I have made both physically and mentally. The amount of preparation that has gone into these last 8 weeks is unlike any training I have experienced. While grueling it has also been very rewarding. I have already accomplished more this year that I could have ever imagined and I have given myself another level of confidence that I thought was impossible to tap into. When I look back on why I began running, it is almost laughable. A dare you might say that has turned into a lifestyle change and has ultimately shifted my perspective on life and how I approach each day. 4 am used to be time I arrived home or an accidental alarm that signaled I still had time to go back to sleep, but now, 4 am is the start of my magnificent obsession as CT Fletcher would say. I am obsessed with becoming better each and every day and for that, it is worth getting out of bed before the sun rises. At the halfway point, I will leave you with a quote from a song, not a running song but lyrics that speak to me and my feelings at this very moment. “In these bodies we will live and these bodies we will die, and where you invest your love, you invest your life.” Thank you Mumford and Sons for illustrating exactly how i feel both physically, mentally, and spiritually at this time. I will let you draw your conclusions from these lyrics, but if it draws anything less than a smile to your face and a deep thought, you might want to analyze what stopped you from smiling, it could be what you are investing in.
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