Building Back Up

Every time I’ve gone for a run lately, I am still in awe that I have retained so much speed (for me). On Saturday, I ran 3 miles on the trail in a little over 25 minutes (WTF), walked a mile in about 15, and ran the other mile back in something like 8:30. Again, WTF?

Obviously spinning, weight lifting, and the occasional stair master session has been beneficial while my stress fracture has healed. My doctor told me that the area will feel sore for a little while after I start running again, and it does – as long as it is the soreness and not the sharp pain of “shin splints” I’m not worried.

Today I went for 4 miles without stopping. As before every run, I told myself to take it easy, go slow, and stop to walk if I need to. Except then when I’m actually running, I don’t want to stop. Well, I do, but I push through the negative voice in my head and keep going. Where was this motivation in high school??

Today’s run:

Negative splits all under 9 minutes a mile? I’ll take it.   

I know that the fact that I’ve retained so much fitness is amazing and I’m thankful. But it’s still hard to feel like I’m starting over with running. When I had to stop, I could run 6, 7, 8 miles at an 8:30 pace. The last run before I learned about my stress fracture, I busted out my last mile in 7:30. I know that will not happen for a while again. It’s frustrating, but I’ll survive and work hard to get faster. I know I can do it – I have before.

It’s amusing to me that during cross country in high school, I think that my slowest time was probably 28 or 29 something minutes. For girls, the CC race is 2.5 miles. I think my fastest time ever was 23 or 24 something minutes. Considering I really did not care at all and can remember the two times during practice I never stopped to walk over 3 years, I did well. While I’m building back up my distance and endurance, I really want to get faster at smaller distances. I’m going to sign up for at least one 5k this fall and I’m eying a Thanksgiving day 5-miler. I love distance running but I’m willing to do speedwork too.

Yay running! Who wants to sign up for some races??

Do What You Want

Within reason and common human decency, anyway.

Mondays are my weekday off from work (a lot of time in retail, as in my store, employees get one weekend day off and one weekday day off). I do pretty much the same thing every Monday. Grand plans of responsibility are schemed: cleaning my car, cleaning my room, getting my oil changed, laundry, reading to blind orphans, adopting baby animals, etc. Today is a great example of what actually happens.

7:30: Wake up! Let the dogs out, make coffee, and cuddle up in bed with my biggest UConn mug, Boy Meets World, and Pinterest.

8:30-8:45: Convince myself to workout. Since I’ve been running again (you know, two times in the last week .. which is more than basically the last 6 months combined), I know I need to build back up my pace and especially my endurance. It’s so nice out (yay fall is coming!) that I drove to the trail by my house, convincing myself the entire way to take it easy and not expect too much of myself coming back from an injury. Know I will do this anyway.

I ran four miles total! And now my quads don’t want to move the rest of the day. They are so tired, I think they have mono.

There are markers every half mile on the trail, and right when I hit each one, I stopped to walk until the next chorus in the song I was listening to came up .. maybe 20-30 seconds each time. As I turned around at mile 2, an older man stopped me and asked if I just ran two miles. I said yes and he asks “Why aren’t you doing more? You’re good!” THANK YOU KIND SIR! I told him I’m recovering from a stress fracture and he said “Good.” Obviously not as in, “Good you had a stress fracture,” but good as in good for me for coming back from an injury! It immediately reminded me of that time at the gym that someone (again, an older man) told me I look better than all the trainers. Neither time have I been creeped out, but proud and thankful for their compliments. Yay old men!

SOMEHOW I ended up finishing those four miles in 36:46. Even with walking breaks. WTF? Clearly my body remembers how to run sort of fast! It averages out to about a 9:09 minute mile – but I did run the second half (18:11) faster than the first half (18:36) so I somehow even managed negative splits. It’s hilarious that during high school cross country, I tried convincing everyone around me, and succeeded in convincing myself, that I was not built for running. I did not have a “runner’s body.”

What IS a “runner’s body” anyway, 16-year-old self? Pretty sure it’s a body that runs. Of course, I did get progressively faster over the season, but as soon as it was done, so was I until next August. So I never really progressed. I didn’t want to. I just wanted an excuse to eat an entire bag of Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks on the bus to the race and two cookies, two brownies, and a cupcake on the bus back. And no, I am not exaggerating.

WOW TANGENT. Anyway, the few slices of dried mango I ate on my way to the trail were long gone, so I headed straight home for a shower and breakfast.

11am: Decide to go to the library. Remember I need new headphones. And tofu. And gas.

11:20am: Arrive at Target for headphones. Leave with all of this:

• Raspberries (2 for $4!)
• Strawberries (cheaper than Stop & Shop)
• Green tea
• Grapefruit La Croix
• Headphones
• Two Synergy Kombuchas ($2.99!)
• Make up wipes

12:15pm: Go to the library. Leave with Jaycee Dugard’s book.

12:35pm: Go to Stop&Shop. They don’t have the tofu I like, but don’t worry, I spent $20 more bucks.

1:15pm: Arrive home. Enter lunch debate: “I should really eat that last black bean burger. I’ll have it on a wrap with avocado and some of those raspberries on the side. So, the whole pint. And some carrots and string beans. Wait, I don’t even want that black bean burger. But I should have it.” Proceed to cut avocado for black bean burger wrap, tell my mind to shut up and make what I really want.

A barbeque tuna wrap with a Laughing Cow wedge, red onion, and lettuce. Kale chips with salt and pepper on the side. Why didn’t I originally want to eat this for lunch even though it’s what I was craving? I had the exact same thing last night for dinner. But it’s delicious, so whatever mercury content. I do what I want.

2-4:30pm: Read A Stolen Life. Cover my mouth and eyes for several parts.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on my couch trying not to nap so that I can fall asleep tonight. I usually nap on my days off and then regret it later. Success! I just ate dinner (shrimp and veggie stir fry with brown rice) and I’m now drinking one of my Kombuchas, watching TV, and researching the next step in my life ;0)