Different Days Different Expectations

I'm having a hard time getting myself to write these blogs after running, but I do realize I don't actually have to write about every run. Either way, I've decided to start labeling the runs to keep it better organized.

Run #17 was a huge success. I had my longest long run on Sunday. Technically, I was supposed to get it done Saturday morning, but I decided on some last-minute drink plans with a friend Friday, so, the run did not happen. On Sunday, I was dreading this run. I knew I'd run 6.2 recently, but that was also one of the worst runs of my life, so it wasn't that motivating. Plus, it was super-hot out, so I was waiting around for hours to find an ideal time. I ultimately decided to do a treadmill run (I've really come around on the treadmill).

I think the main driver of success was that I started this run slow. It is so hard mentally to do this because as much as I tell people to not worry about pace, I am a hypocrite. However, I started out at a 10:40 pace for the first couple miles. I was listening to #NikeRunClub as usual and Coach Bennett had us do an unusual thing. When we hit halfway, the typical point for runners to start drifting off, he had us pretend we were running the last 5K of the run instead of the middle 5K. The good news for me was that I wanted to increase my pace anyway, so I just kept increasing over the course of the 5K. Ultimately, I ran the next 3ish miles at a 9:40 pace. I'll be honest, I really was trying to drive my average pace back down from starting the run at the slower pace. When we reached the true last 5K, I didn't listen to Coach Bennett, which is very unlike me. You're supposed to slow down at this point because hypothetically you're at the middle of the run and haven't hit your fastest. But I felt SO good. So, I just continued running at the 9:40 pace, hoping to inch closer to a 10-minute overall pace.

The whole time I felt good. My breathing was once again under control. My legs weren't sore). However, here's where I have a ginormous problem with the treadmill. I'm full-on cruising at the 6-mile mark and kind of in my own little world when the treadmill starts to stop. I thought I was hallucinating as the ground started slowing down beneath me. Once again, it decided to stop at 60 minutes, despite me NOT inputting a stop time. I was incredibly annoyed but quickly restarted to finish my last mile. I started speeding up too (bad, I know) to make up for lost time. I ended up feeling this insane shock up my left arm which startled me. However, I was checking in with myself and still felt good so I just kept running. I ended up feeling satisfied and accomplished with this run. I think the treadmill may actually be a good place for a runner to start if they are very unfamiliar with pacing. It's easy to get ahead of yourself outside, especially in a busy city. The treadmill kind of forces you to be more aware of pace.

Anyway, Run #17 was the next day and was a little tougher, which was expected given the long run on Sunday. I ended up doing the 25-minute recovery with Coach Bennett. I started this run even slower, at a 11-minute pace. I tried to increase the pace as I ran but I mentally and physically could not. I was 1) exhausted and 2) sore from the workout I had done right before and really was just trying to get this run done. It ended up being a fine run but nothing too exciting about it.

Run #16: Sunday, July 20 - 7.1 Miles 10:11 Pace

Run #17: Monday. July 21 - 2.3 Miles 10:58 Pace