I got in a great run today and boy did I need it! As you may know, I have been feeling really shaky about this Sunday's 10K and my runs this past week or so haven't been helping. Getting 2 miles in has been a challenge, but today after work, I ran a glorious 3.5 miles. It was a bit of a struggle, but I did it and I somehow managed to slow down a bit.
I am really confused about my pacing lately. When I run at lunch in the park, I have been doing 10 - 11 minute miles and today, on my favorite flat trail near my house, my first mile was 13 minutes and some change and my average pace ended up being 12:08/mile. This is good, because I was able to run longer, but I don't understand it. I really don't feel like I was running any slower today than I was last week, but I must have been. I tried to run faster at one point during my run today and then slow down so I could feel the difference, but I didn't notice anything. Maybe this will come with time?
I experienced a few firsts on my run today and they both involved bugs. I do not like bugs. At all. I noticed a lot of gnat-like bugs flying around near the parking lot at the trail and I had to run through a few swarms early on. I made sure my mouth was closed and kept running. About .5 mile into my run, I looked down at my shirt for some reason and my lovely pink Under Armour shirt was speckled with bugs. Ugh, it was disgusting. They were just tiny, little gnats and they wiped right off my shirt, but it was still gross.
My second new running experience involves spitting. If you are squeamish, skip ahead to the next paragraph. I always see spit puddles on my running paths or see people spit and it's super gross to me. I just don't understand it, but I'm also a newbie runner so I try not to judge (I'm not doing such a good job, I know). Well, tonight, I joined the ranks of fellow spitting runners. Spitting becomes a necessity when above mentioned gnats fly into your mouth. Blech. I tried to keep my mouth closed, I really did, but when I'm running, I'm breathing pretty heavily and my mouth inherently opens. I'm pretty sure I swallowed a few of those damn gnats, but as my Dad would say, that extra protein is good for you. Gross. I did try to spit a few of them out, not once, but twice. I guess I will be a little less judge-y the next time I see someone spit while on a run.
I'm really glad I was able to get in a good run today (despite the gnats and spitting), because it makes me feel so much better about Sunday. Hopefully a few more good runs this week will put me where I need to be physically and mentally!
Do you have any funny running stories to share? Have you ever done something on a run you thought you'd never do (drink someone else's water out of desperation, spit, etc.)?
The below quote hit me square on the head today when I saw it on Facebook. I feel like my run today re-energized me at a time when I desperately needed it.
"Renew your inspiration to run. Try a new route, find a fresh path and re-energize your reason to run."
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