Back on track...and a weekly NSV.

  Well, my train is back on track this week!  As a testament to how diet can really affect your ability to exercise, just a few days of eating healthier, and my workouts picked right back up from where I left off.   Which is good, because my first 5k race is coming up at the end of the month!  October 27th seemed a lot closer on October 1st than it did on September 30th!

    I'm training hard, and running almost every day right now!  Of course, I still keep my "big runs" (runs of 3 or more miles) to only twice a week.  But, I am trying to squeeze in a mile or two every other day of the week, save for Thursday which is my "break day." So far no issues.  I'm really getting excited about my first race.  Nervous too, although I don't know why.  I know I can run the full 5k, but I guess it is just the idea of an "official" 5k that makes it feel different.

    What then is next?   Well, I am going to work my way up to a full 10k!  While I may be able to run the full distance before spring 2013, I still think I want to keep the Azalea Trail Run set aside to be my first 10k race.   From there, I would LOVE to run a half marathon, and after that, we will just have to see!  I guess the idea of me running even six miles seems like a fantasy.  Then again, the very concept of running three miles was out of the question, about seven months ago.  I know that with every new distance I reach, the idea of running a marathon will become less and less like a fantasy.  I will probably find myself looking back to this day, and thinking of how a 10k, or even a half marathon seemed out of reach.

    That is the funny thing about working out, and training your body for something.  You find that it can surpass your expectations.  One of the greatest feelings is looking back, and realizing than even a couple of weeks ago, your body could not do what it can do today.  Six months ago, I could barely run a lap around the track at church.  Today, I can run almost four miles at the park.  

    Maybe it is just me, but I find that amazing.  I'm not referring to my abilities as a runner.  I am talking about the design of our bodies.  I have managed to undo years of damage and abuse that I put my body through in a little over half a year.  Your body wants to heal, it wants to be healthy. If you treat yourself right, your body will come through for you, and do amazing things that you never thought possible.  God certainly knew what he was doing when he made us. 

    That brings me to my weekly non scale victory.  I went for a run last night at the church track.  It had been a long day, and stress was high.  So I went in with low expectations.  I just KNEW my run was going to suck.  However, when I got upstairs, the track was empty.  It is one of the nice things about working out on Wednesday night at church!  My spirits picked up a little.  As I walked my warm up lap, and set up my workout station on Pandora, something happened that made me realize it was going to be a great run.  The first song that came on was Sexy and I know It.  Needless to say, I had a good laugh!  I think that was what really helped me out of my pre-run funk.

    But it also inspired an idea.  I decided to set a different kind of goal.  Normally, I base my runs on distance.  I have to admit, I try not to keep strict track of distance in my head, because it tends to make me focus so hard on what I am doing that I get frustrated.  So I try not to pay attention to the clicker I use to keep track of laps at church, or the pedometer on my waist at the park.

     I decided to try and base my goal on a set time.  I started my run exactly at 7:30, and told myself I was going to run as close to thirty straight minutes as possible.  You see, I have never done that before.  When I do run, I have to take short "breath breaks."  Sometimes though, I think I give up on myself too easily, and break more than I truly need to.

    Now for the victory.
    Last night, the run just felt great.  Pandora was playing great music, I had the track to myself, and I was in a good mood.  Before I knew it, twenty minutes had passed.  I was thrilled.  Normally, I usually take my first break after fifteen to twenty minutes, and yet I still felt like I could keep going.  Not only that, but I had improved my time.  I managed to run two miles in twenty-two minutes!  As I approached the thirty minute mark, I checked the clicker I use to keep track of laps at the church.  I had run thirty-one laps!  I realized that I did not want to just settle for thirty minutes, when I was so close to running a full three miles.  Some how I just knew my body could keep going.  I pushed past the wall, and was hit with an amazing runner's high! Each lap brought me closer and closer to my goal. 

    I achieved two new victories last night.  The first, was running for thirty-three straight minutes without stopping for a breath or water break.  It felt good.  The other was running three consecutive miles without breaks as well.  The breaks I have taken in past runs never lasted more than thirty seconds, but I still wanted to run without having to catch my breath.  Needless to say,  I was so thrilled that I could finally run without having to stop!   After a few sips of well earned water,  I polished off three more laps to give me a happy 3.25 miles, and went home with my head held high. 

   So not only is my train back on the tracks, it is pushing forward full steam ahead!

May your own trains continue safely on their tracks.
Kristina