C'mon, somebody must be running!

[BikeDutchess]

I did my first half marathon last weekend! Keep in mind that until this year, I swore that running was the worst form of torture ever invented. But two of my co-workers inspired me to sign up for the Disneyland Half Marathon, and I discovered the Galloway run-walk-run method, so there I was, at 5:30 in the morning, waiting for the starting gun with 15,951 other people (including DH). I had such a great time! Disney sure knows how to organize these things. Running through California Adventures and Disneyland into Anaheim, high school bands/cheerleaders all along the route in the city, lower bowl of Angel Stadium full of cheering people as we ran around the field, it was just incredible. And while it was much muggier than I was used to (93% humidity at the start!), I benefitted from the low altitude and flat course. My run intervals are still measured in seconds rather than minutes, but I finished in 2:55 which I was very happy with. Definitely want to keep running and hope to get faster eventually!

[GLC1968]

Great job, BikeDutchess! Congrats on your first half!!

I did my 9 mile training run on Saturday in our last (hopefully) HOT day of the year. It was 95F and humid (for us), so I was a little wilty-er than usual. I did start before it got too awful hot, so I survived. Managed to be close to my target pace (off by 5sec/mile).

Typically, Sundays are my long run days but I had a prior commitment on Sunday morning so I had to do it Saturday. It's a good thing too since on Sunday morning I tried to stop a falling glass bottle of BBQ sauce from shattering with my bare foot. Dumb. Not only was this my previously injured foot, but that was a HEAVY bottle. I now have a lovely lump and the start of a blue mark on my foot! It kept me up with pain last night, too. Fingers crossed that it heals quickly but I'm now thankful that I did my run on Saturday so I have 8 days to recover before the next one!

[zoom-zoom]

I did my first half marathon last weekend! ... Definitely want to keep running and hope to get faster eventually!

Yay, now you have a PR to crush! Nice job!!

[VeganBikeChick]

Frustrated! Started running again on Fri after 3 months off. Always a beginner runner before I lose interest or injure myself. Ran Fri, Sat, & Sun, took Mon off & ran again last night. Only 1.8 mi each run, so not long. I'm frustrated because each run is harder than the one before & my pace is slower & slower. I run the same route each time & am eating plenty. It should be getting easier. What am I doing wrong?!

[zoom-zoom]

Frustrated! Started running again on Fri after 3 months off. Always a beginner runner before I lose interest or injure myself. Ran Fri, Sat, & Sun, took Mon off & ran again last night. Only 1.8 mi each run, so not long. I'm frustrated because each run is harder than the one before & my pace is slower & slower. I run the same route each time & am eating plenty. It should be getting easier. What am I doing wrong?!

I suspect your body is telling you that you need to slow your pace. I know it can be hard to do that, but after extended breaks you can't pick up where you left off. Maybe stick to every-other day for a month, too. Run fewer days, but don't run the same distance every time. Perhaps 1-2 miles on some days and 3-4 on others. Change up your route (that's partly a safety thing. Don't make your workouts predictable for creeps).

[VeganBikeChick]

Thanks, Kirsten! I run during rush hour in a very busy part of the city and live in a locked building, so I'm not worried about the creepers. I will definitely take your advice into account. It's frustrating because it's such a small distance. I've never run long miles, but this certainly seems like it shouldn't be tripping me up. I appreciate your input.

[OakLeaf]

I agree, three consecutive days is a lot for anyone. Doesn't matter you don't respect your own effort. That's plenty mileage for not having run in a while. Varying distance (and pace) is good advice too. Practice running slowly, smoothly, on your longer runs.

I did an absolutely awesome yoga video today. It was Iyengar style, totally alignment focused, all about the feet. It was on yogaglo.com, a subscription site, but if anyone subscribes or wants to check it out, the teacher is Marla Apt. I'll definitely come back to that one often. Really helped me with mobilizing and working my feet, and feeling the connection between feet and hips and beyond.


BikeDutchess, way to go!! Very nice job, and great that it was so much fun!

GLC, heal fast ...

[BikeDutchess]

Thanks all! I'll have to set some new goals now - gradually increasing my run intervals is one. At least it's getting cooler now, so much nicer for running (and biking, for that matter).