Category: Run Report

Tonight’s run was another one that made me really happy. I ran it with the average pace I was shooting for: under 9:30 (I got an average pace of 9:27!!!). It’t not my fastest, but it’s very, very close (fastest was a 9:24 pace for 3.53 miles). This is, however, the first run I’ve had yet that every split (half mile) was under 9:30! That was my goal, and I did it!

The best part: the fun felt great. I felt myself pushing, but not over-exerting. My breathing was good, and the legs felt good. They were just on the very edge of pushing hard, but not quite. It felt amazing.

On the push up front, I only did 70. I’m okay with this, though. My goal is 80, but I’m sure I’ll get there within the month. There’s no rush to 80.

If you think you can’t do it, or that you can’t ever like running or any kind of exercise, think again. I can point  you to ALL of my friends who all heard me say for the past year that I’ll never get into exercise. Yet, here I am, and it feels great. I love how I feel afterward, and I love how much stronger I am.

Yes, I look a little crazy in this photo. It’s because I pushed it a bit last night, and I got my best run since I took up running again last September. My pace was, on average, 9:24/mile which beat my very best run by 2 seconds per mile. It doesn’t seem like much, but this is a big deal to me. You see, I was making great progress until I caught a bad flu in November which kept me from running for over two weeks. I lost so much progress over that time, and it’s taken me nearly two months to get back to the 9:20’s. I’ve had two runs in a row now with times under 10 minutes, but to be so close to breaking the 9 minute/mile barrier is really exciting!

Also, my first mile run time was 8:52! If I can keep that pace for all three and a half miles, I’ll be really happy! My running goal is to be a sub-9 minute mile runner consistently. I’m getting there, and it motivates me!

I am also happy because I didn’t get a chance to run on Wednesday as planned due to weather and a dinner with a co-worker. I hate missing runs, so I was happy to get this one in. I will also run on Saturday this week since I don’t run back-to-back for fear of injury or developing shin splints. I may ride my bike on Sunday, though. We’ll see.

All in all, it was a great run. I worked the entire time, pushing myself, but after the second mile, my pace felt very natural, and whenever I felt my legs slow a bit, it was easy to kick it back into gear and pick the pace back up. This is a new sensation for me. I have always hated pushing myself in a run. Now that my body is getting stronger, it is getting easier to push the limits safely and without lasting pain.

As for my push ups, I did 70 in a little over a minute. I could have done more, but again, I’m letting my body gain its strength slowly and organically. I gauge how I feel while I’m doing the push ups, and if I reach a goal and feel I can do more without straining, I do it. Last night’s number was 70. Next time, I may go to 75 or even 80. We’ll see. Either way, I started with 10 back in September. I didn’t push myself for fast gains, and the nice part is that my arms are never sore afterward. Five months later, I’m doing 70 push ups without any pain or soreness. Ever. That’s a huge win to me!

I’m not in any hurry to make fast gains. I have been taking it slowly and allowing my body to strengthen slowly over time, and it’s the absolute best method I’ve experienced in my life in regards to exercise. It takes a lot longer, but my quality of life is so much higher. I can’t recommend it enough!

Today’s run was actually pretty decent. I set out to run faster than I have in the past few runs, and I accomplished my goal with some pretty decent numbers. My average pace for the 3.52 miles was 9:46 with the first half mile being the best at 9:16. More impressive to me was that I was sub-10 minutes on all three miles overall including the last half.

This is important to me. My running goal is to run sub-9’s as my “comfortable run” pace, and I’m getting there. It’s taking me some time, but I’m getting there. Today’s run was comfortable, and notable to me because as I pushed my legs to run faster, they weren’t really aching or burning. The only real limiting factor today was my willpower and desire to run faster.

Tomorrow is a rest day for my legs, so I may do some situps or something. I haven’t decided yet. But tonight, I will sleep well having had a really nice run with great results!

Last night’s run was unexpectedly long. Not because I got lost or anything like that, but because as I ran, I decided that I wanted to keep running. It wasn’t because I felt so great, either. Quite the opposite, in fact. My legs felt a bit like I was running in wet cement or deep sand, and I was kind of upset about it. That led me to running slower than normal so I decided, “Okay body, if you want to play this game with me, I’m going to play one with you!” That’s how I ended up running over five miles last night.

In the end, the pace wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t blazing fast, either. Considering it was a five mile run, I’m okay with the slightly slower pace. I never stopped, and wasn’t in any pain. I had the occasional aches in my legs, but it was what I was taught in the Marines as “Good pain” which is the muscles working.

As for the nipples, I think they are hardening up to the runs. Only the right one was aching the tiniest bit. The left one was a total trooper and wasn’t sensitive at all.

One new thing that happened during this run: I listened to slower music. The xx released their new album today, and I listened to it in its entirety. It’s slower paced music, and I think it actually effected my run by slowing me down. Rammstein makes me run a whole heck of a lot faster! Then, when the album was complete, it didn’t loop to start again and I ended up running the last mile and a half without music. It was weird. I haven’t done that since I was on active duty. It wasn’t bad, but I definitely prefer listening to music or podcasts while I run. It helps keep my mind busy.

It was a good run after all was said and done, and now I’ll be letting my body rest for the weekend before getting back to it on Monday. I may do a short run on Sunday, like a one mile or one and a half mile run, but I haven’t really decided yet. It all depends on how I feel on Sunday.