Leprechaun Chase

One of my goals for 2013 (…and 2012) was to complete a 10K.

I’m proud (and relieved) to tell you all that it’s been checked off the list!

On March 9, I ran in the Leprechaun Chase 10K.

I mean, if you’re going to run in a 10K for the first time, why not have it be a St. Patrick’s theme?

The concept is simple:

Lasses get a 5 1/2 minute head start.

If a lass crosses the finish line first, all lasses get a free beer – and vice verse.

The race started at the Strategic Air and Space Museum – or rather, inside one of the hangars.

The huge bay doors opened after the Star Spangle Banner played and we were off.

The route meandered through Mahoney State Park and wasn’t lacking in the hill department.

Amazingly enough, it wasn’t as difficult as I had convinced myself it would be.

I did walk a few times, maybe a half a mile total.

My goal was to finish in approximately an hour – at the pace of 10:00/mile.

I crossed the line in 1:03:31.

In my first 10K, full of hills.

Needless to say, I was pretty damn happy with that result.

My fastest mile clocked in at 8:28 – my first mile, weaving around people and getting into a good space.

My slowest clocked in at 10:58 – Mile 5. My legs felt fine, but my head was starting to get the best of me.

Catching My Breath

In the last two weeks:

Owen turned 1.

I ran my first 10K .

We had Owen’s birthday party.

We had a mini blizzard.

I got a wicked cold.

(Be thankful – no picture for this one)

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day.

(pinned here)

I turned 27.

With the last few days of my “stay-cation” upon me, I have three things on the agenda:

1) Read. I’m already 2 books in for the week and want to finish the trilogy (Nora Robert’s Gallagher’s of Ardmore)

2) Play that spiffy new game in the last picture. The original Tomb Raider is the first video game I remember absolutely loving – a female Indiana Jones who kick’s ass – yes please.

3) Play with my lil munchkin.

Murphy’s Law

“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

I found a great Pin the other day titled, “Murphy’s Law for Runners.”

Now, I’m normally a pretty optimistic person, but this list was hilarious and spot on.

Unfortunately for me, one rang a little to true…

(Pinned here, cropped via PicMonkey)

My training had been going well, maybe even a little too well.

My long runs were tough, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

My tempo runs were fantastic – my treadmill kept me on pace and Netflix kept me entertained.

That is, until last week.

My first short run on Wednesday wasn’t too bad.

My 400 repeats on Thursday were a completely different story.

Talk about sucking…

I only got three of my seven done before I had to stop.

My right calf was a tangled ball and nothing I could do would loosen it.

I took Friday off to prepare for my long run on Saturday.

I was planning to run 8, but based on Thursday I had decided that 7 would be more than fine.

Ha!

I ended up doing 4 miles….total.

That included a lot of walking.

I think I actually ran 2.5 miles.

Mind and calf – 1, Long run – 0.

I was frustrated.

I was disappointed.

It was by far the worst run I’ve had in a long time.

My right calf and heel were sore the rest of the day and into Sunday.

I rested Sunday and Monday.

Not quite sure what I’ll do today.

I hate putting my training on hold, but I definitely don’t want to injure myself.

The Part Where I Think I’m Crazy…

I’ve been working on the same manuscript for the last 18 months or so.

The story comes and goes in spurts – it’s either feast or famine.

Weeks where the words would pour out of me; into notebooks, word docs, abbreviated notes on my iPhone.

 I couldn’t get the words down fast enough.

I’ve also had weeks and months go past where the story is just stuck in my mind. I try to write past it, to break down that mental wall.

The results have inevitably been crap.

Pages that don’t flow with the prior chapters.

Characters suddenly acting out of personality.

Unfortunately, I’ve been in the famine arena for the last few months.

Since November, to be exact.

Yes, that would be the November where I planned to finish my first draft.

The part where I think I’m going crazy?

I’ve had a brand new story swirling in my mind for the last few weeks.

I’ve been trying to ward it off, push it back in the corner to continue to grow on its own while I finish my current work-in-progress.

Too bad it’s not having any of that nonsense.

I can’t get it out of my mind.

While I drive to and from work.

While I run.

While I drift off to sleep and wake up in the morning.

It’s always there…pounding on the door and making my fingers twitchy.

It’s begging to be written down. To be set free.

I have to be crazy to set aside my 18 month in progress manuscript.

There’s no other explanation.

But I have to do it.

I have to set this new story free before it recedes into the dark corners of my mind, never to be heard from again.

Running Wild

Let’s be honest…

Long runs suck, but have moments (and miles) of glorious-ness.

The same could be said of all runs, depending on who you’re talking to.

This morning, I finished my longest training run to date.

It may have been my longest run ever.

Certainly the longest since my senior year of high school Cross Country Season – and I’m not even sure we ran this far then.

When you’re done with a long training run…

You’re exhausted, but giddy on a runner’s high.

You’re sore, but proud of what you accomplished.

As I iced my tired legs yesterday, I thought of my top 10 reasons for loving to run:

1. Runner’s High. Nothing is better than the feeling when you’re done with a run. No matter how tough or easy the run is, when you’re done, you just feel good. Tired, but good.
2. Sleep. When I run on a regular basis, I sleep like a baby (assuming that Owen lets me).
3. Thinking. During runs (especially long runs outside), I let my brain go. I work through frustrations and stresses, think about my goals, daydream. Lately, my thoughts have turned to the story I’m working on.
4. Runner’s butt and legs. Enough said.
5. Abdominal workout. Your core is an integral part of running. It’s a great way to get in an ab workout without thinking about it.
6. Feeling of accomplishment. Looking back over the week to see that I finished all my training runs. Finishing my weekly long run. All of this reinforces that you can put whatever you put your mind to.
7. Mental toughness. I firmly believe that running is 90% mental. There have been times that my legs feel fine, but my brain tries to convince me that I can’t go on. I hit the metaphorical wall. You have to learn to bust through that wall.
8. Eating habits. When I run regularly, I feel better and healthier. It makes me rethink eating a bunch of crap food.
9. Treadmill time = Netflix. A great excuse to catch up on (or discover) shows on Netflix. This is how I got hooked on Supernatural last week.
10. Ease of entry. Unlike other sports, you don’t need very much to get started – just a pair of shoes. You can always get fancy and buy the GPS watch and running outfits, but it’s your choice. None of that is required to be a runner.

Your turn!

Do you run? What are your top 10 reasons for loving to run? Top 10 reasons why you hate to run?