Saturday, March 7, 2009

twofer

Well normally I get caught up on my blogging and email during my call taking shifts but the past two I've had were really busy and I never did it!

So here it is, last week I did an 8 mile run!  I ran out to Edwards and back which sounded like a great route however I forgot that go to Edwards is a nice gentle downhill and coming back is well uphill!  the first 4 miles were amazing, felt great, good pace no real walking breaks etc.  Then I turned around to head back and it was U-G-L-Y!  It became painfully obvious that I need to really focus on my back and core strength.  The more tired I became the more I leaned forward and my back fatigued really quickly.  It's an awful feeling because it's all the muscles in your upper back around your lungs so you start to feel like you can't breathe.  But none the less in 1 hour 45 mins I completed 8 miles which until today was the farthest I'd ever run.

Now to this week! I fit in a quick 3.5 mile speed workout which I've been neglecting and realize now will really help my long runs.  The funny story of the week involves this run.  So about 3 weeks ago I was sick with the flu and after getting better I tried for a long run which didn't go well.  I tried going up to the Village but had to turn back about a 1.5 miles in.  I felt as though I couldn't breathe.  I chalked it up to being sick.  Then this week I went out for a quick run and again felt as though I couldn't breathe.  It didn't make any sense because I had done the 8 miles about 2 days before and thought maybe it was because I didn't have enough water in me.  

Here's the "Ah Ha!" moment, I had chosen to wear one of my new sports bras and it's a pull over style with a clasp for extra support.  It's a tight fitting bra so I thought it'd be perfect for running.  About 2.5 miles into the run I realize that it could be the sports bra making it so hard for me to breathe.  So I undo the clasp and the heavens opened and a choir of angels sang "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

So turns out this bra, a tad too tight for running, great for weight lifting or a cycling class but no more running!

The big news is that today I did 9 miles!  I decided that I would be smarter to get the uphill portion of my run out of the way in the beginning.  So I started out heading up village road.  It took 45 minutes to do 3 miles and I gained about 700 feet in elevation, a challenge to say the least!  Then it took about 30 minutes to get back down.  I then tacked on another 3 miles running around the river and through Avon.  I felt amazingly great in the last 4 miles of the run which was a great mental boost.  My timer on my iPod said 2hrs 10 minutes when I got back to my apartment but I had taken 2 bathroom breaks and stopped to talk to a friend at the end for about 10 minutes so I think the time was closer to 1 hr 50 mins.

I am really starting to see and feel changes in my body and am looking forward to getting my 10 mile run done next week cause after that I get a massage!!!!!!!!!!!

1 comment:

Jocelyn said...

I am so proud of you! So amazing! AND inspiring! You go girl.I have no idea how you are able to run at suck high elevation and not die! You are a for to be reckoned with!