Saturday morning was a six mile group run...some did even more. I was grateful to be a part of it, and my calf felt healed up and great. Thank you, Jesus. It was fantastic to see many of you Saturday and to cheer each other on along the trail and as people came finishing into the parking lot. If you haven't come to a group run, I really encourage you to. I didn't even jog with anyone but myself for the six miles, but just the starting together, seeing each other as people looped back, and stretching and talking when we finished is really powerful. Come join in if you haven't yet. If you're worried you might bring up the tail, just know that there are a few of us who will likely wag that tail with you.
I came in at 12.5 minutes per mile, and though that may seem really slow to some, I find it a miracle that I have accomplished that in six weeks' time. I did wear a heart monitor this past Saturday and was in the red zone for the majority of my 6 miles. This was discouraging, but Don said that this should be considered normal for my beginner self and will continue to come down as my fitness improves. It will be good to check it in a few weeks to see if it has come down any.
How about you? How are you doing? Let us know!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have been "wagging the tail" on the runs but have been amazed how much easier it is to run 6 miles on Saturday (with others) than to run 3 miles on a Tuesday morning by myself. The mid-week runs have offered some moments of solitude, but I can't say that I've really enjoyed them, more that I force myself to do them and am glad afterward. (I get a great deal of satisfaction from adding them to my log.) It is surprising to me that I look forward to the Saturday runs -- with teammates, a Coach, and a bright orange shirt, I feel like a real athlete on Saturdays...I just need to transfer that feeling to rainy Tuesdays.
ReplyDeleteThank heavens others were running in the red too on Saturday! When I saw how "hard" I was working with the heart monitor, I thought to myself "that was only 8 miles what am I going to do running 26.2??" My heart will explode! Thank heavens for Don and his gentle reminder that some of us are only "beginners" and that is what training is for... to get healthier and faster! Thanks for your words of encouragement everyone.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I agree that community is so powerful! Thanks for cheering me at the finish on Saturday! And Anonymous, I also had the "heart attack" thought as I watched my numbers climb and climb. Good job on the 8 miles!
ReplyDeleteAnyone else out there? What's happening in your world of training?
As a veteran marathoner, the 2 most important things I have learned are 1) being part of a team is priceless and 2) embrace those tough runs because they are the ones that will keep you going when you hit the wall on race day. Hang in there first-timers!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Toni, for the encouragement and tips. "Embrace" the tough runs. I'm going to make this my mantra as the miles increase!
ReplyDelete