Saturday, May 16, 2009

Icy Cold

Buurrrrr...this morning felt like winter all over again. I headed here (dressed in my running pants, hat and freakin' gloves...on May 16th???) to get in my longest run yet. 20 miles! I guess progression is the key with running. Compared to last weekend, I felt great this morning. I might have been able to keep going, knowing that I only had 6.2 miles left! I took a banana and a raspberry Gu pack and two bottles of water. I will not run with a water pack. Not quite sure how people can do that to themselves. If I added an extra pound or two to my backside, it would not be pretty. This particular route is perfect...about 2.3 miles around...stop at the car, stretch, grab a drink and go. I clocked in at 7:10 and finished around 10:20. That included all rests and potty breaks (convenient pottys on this route as well!). The only complaint I have today are my IT bands. I deserve this, as I did two things wrong:

1. I wore bad shoes.
2. I didn't stretch enough before I left home.

Aaahhhh...it's all about learning. I plan on taking Sunday and Monday off just to get the bands back to normal (they feel much better than last night) and see how things are on Tuesday. This is a very common problem for me. Any advice??? I feel great knowing that I can get in 20 miles in under 3:10. That makes me want to push through these next 4 weeks and get this marathon over with!

3 comments:

Cassidy said...

I get so much motivation from you!!! I wanted to ask you how you managed to get back into running...like how often did you go and for how long. And then once you were able to run one or two miles, how did you increase it? Thanks for your motivating blog.

Jessica said...

Cassidy...you are amazing and I'm still laughing at your new blog title! :)

As for the running, my first run was for 10 minutes. Every day I went after that, I went just a little bit further. Like, just around THAT corner or until THAT house with the pretty wrap-around porch. By the time you know it, you'll be going 2-3 miles. My suggestion: give yourself a goal. A reachable goal you can accomplish in less than 8 weeks. Like, a 5K perhaps. Small, shorter goals really helped me increase my distance (rather that focusing on the main goal--weight loss!!!). After the 5-K, I signed up for a 10-K. So on, and so on. I hope that helps! I added your blog under my inspiration links. Keep going!!!

Beccarigg said...

It WAS freezing on Saturday! This is my first year in Minnesota and I'm wondering if we'll EVER be able to go out in shorts and t-shirts!!

Way to go on your 20 miler! 3:10 is an impressive time! Do you have a time goal for Grandma's? Glad you're taking a couple days off to recover : )