And so the running continues. Sorry for the lapse in posts! School has been getting more and more busy to end out the year. Between school, boxing and running, I feel so busy all the time! I’m glad that the race is now only two weeks away! I can’t believe it came so quickly.
Last Week: 15 miles (including 11.3 in the rain, and 2.8 in paint!)
This Week: 16.3 miles (including 13.1 all at once!)
Right now is going to be a general post about running. See also my posts about running in PAINT and running 11.3 miles in the rain! I wasn’t quite sure how to do either…..but I made it through both!
What I really want to post about today is running 13.1 miles, all by myself.
Mindset
When I tell people what I did over the weekend, they are shocked how far I can run. I try not to act like it’s no big deal, but it kind of isn’t anymore. Running for me is so mental, that I just set a goal and do it. I don’t always run as fast or long or smooth as I want. I’m never happy with my pace. But if I leave the house to run 13.1 miles. I run 13.1 miles. To date, I have never cut a run short by mileage. I have taken extra walking breaks or stopped to go to the bathroom or facebooked……or whatever to give myself extra recovery time. I have literally stopped and yelled “I HATE PUDDLES!” because I was so frustrated. But I have never cut my mileage short. It’s fulfilling a promise to myself that I can see results in in just a few hours.
Time
Running more than 5-7 miles takes a lot of TIME. By the time I’ve changed, found all my gear, set up my devices and put sunscreen on, it’s been 20 minutes. Plus run time. When I get back, I usually sit down and drink something and space out. I call this my “Stupid TIme.” When I ran 13.1 miles, it took me: 2 hours and 41 minutes. Plus prep, stupid time and a shower, it took four hours to run on Saturday. I have always toyed with the idea of running a full marathon but I officially never want to. If this is how long it takes for a half, there’s no way I can commit to a full. 
Everyone Thinks They Are A Runner
Lots and lots of people talk to me about running. I can’t tell you how many people say “I ran a 5K once!” as if it’s traveling to the moon. Now, let me be frank. There was absolutely a time in my life where, having run one 5K, I felt like a badass. And I do think that accomplishing any fitness milestone, even a 5K, should be celebrated. But I’m training for a half marathon, and I don’t even hit my stride until a 5K has passed. I feel like a total running snob now. And……it feels pretty freaking awesome.
The Sidewalk Shuffle
One would think, that since I live in a major city, there are sidewalks everywhere. I assure you. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. There are areas of town that all have sidewalks. But there are weird pockets of town, that you can’t find one anywhere. Is there an app to show you the best course (with sidewalks?) in your city for the distance you want to go? This could be genius. Dibs.
On my last three long runs, I decided to just go for it and see how far the mileage ‘square’ was. My first try was ok. My second was ‘meh’. And my third was terrible. Even though I drive down the street all the time, I never notice if there is a sidewalk. I just assume (and you know what they say!) that since it’s a major driving road, it has sidewalks. False. So false.
13.1 Miles is………well A LOT
Again, since I live in the city, everything is less than 2 miles away. In order to run 13.1 miles, and see a little of the course, I ran 6 miles straight to the East and back, with a lap in the park. 6 miles straight East is FAR. I could not believe how many things I passed that I usually drive to. I just said to Dan today, “Now that I can run 13.1 miles, everything in the city feels like it’s within walking distance.” And. Well. It’s kind of true. We are only 2.5 miles from downtown. Sometimes I wonder why we drive at all?!
I did get pretty bored running 13.1 miles. It was a weird temperature outside. Hot but cold but muggy but normal. After 2 hours…..I wanted to quit. Not because it was too hard or I couldn’t finish. I was just bored and ready to be done. But I used some motivation from my hubby, my friends, and trainers and just did it. Even though I knew I could, I still can’t believe it’s done!