Mile by Mile

...Or maybe that post title should read .20 of a mile by .20 of a mile.  In any case, I managed to eek out a 2.0 mile run today, which felt pretty amazing (not during the run, but after)!  I'm amazed because it was just barely two weeks ago that I worked up the nerve to try to run a mile straight and here I am running 2.0 miles!  It just reiterates the point I keep making to myself that this is really more of a mental challenge for me rather than a physical challenge (although today on my run, my calves might have begged to differ).

I, of course, picked the hottest and muggiest day of the week to attempt to run farther than I've ever run in my life, but I'm to the point where I'm not letting excuses get in my way, so a little heat and humidity weren't going to stop me.  About .40 of a mile in and I wasn't sure I was going to make it; I felt incredibly sluggish, hot, and my calves were screaming at me.  Luckily, I had mentioned to some co-workers that I was going to try 2.0 miles and I'm glad I did, because that kept me going.  That and there were so many other people running at the park, that I felt encouraged to keep up (I'm looking at you older, hairy man brazenly running without your shirt on. If he can do it, darn it, so can I). 

Despite the fact that I felt sluggish, my pace certainly didn't reflect it.  I have been consistently running between a 13:30 - 13:50 mile, but today, my first mile was 12:36 (!) and my second mile was around 12:56.  I definitely didn't feel like I was going that pace, but I'll take it.  

On another note, I'm kicking around changing my training plan. I originally planned on adding .10 of a mile every time I ran, but since Saturday, I've been increasing my runs by .20 of a mile.  Today's run was challenging for me, though, and I'm wondering if I should stick to 2.0 miles for a week or two to build up my endurance before I start adding more mileage.  I guess I will see how I feel on Friday when I set out to run.

As a follow-up to the Unstoppable Race from July 28th, I found out today that the Race raised $10,000 for the One Fund for victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy.  I'm honored to have been a part of this Race to show support for the running community and the people of Boston. 

"There are no gains without pains."