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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Steps of the long run

Today's long run day! I finished 9.4 miles. It felt very....l...o...n...g. Thanks to Donna and Linda for the early start. I joke about starting later but the truth is I would rather just get it over with. Today felt like a stretch but that is what the long run is all about. Just like any challenge in life, there is a process to the long run.
At first there is denial. After one solo mile, I met up with Donna and Linda who were doing less mileage today. We started off and I thought, hey this isn't so bad. Then came the anger...
OK I really wasn't angry but my legs were...
I actually felt great through most of the distance but at the 6.4 mile mark my body started yelling, "Are you kidding me? You worked last night and I'm tired!" I tried to ignore my internal voice and started to bargain
I bargained with my body...I told the bad little voice to calm down and reminded it and my legs that there were only 3 miles left and we'd be sure to make it to the end.
I skipped over depression today. The run just wasn't long enough to get there. I went right from bargaining to acceptance. With a 1/2 mile left, I realized it was done and I was in one piece. The run itself was good. The weather was amazing--cold when we started but the sun was shining and warmed us up before the end! Ha! You wouldn't know it reading along today would you? The truth is my body is beginning to shape up. I'm no speeder. Instead I can count on finishing a schedule each week.
Total mileage 49.8

1 comment:

Kate said...

Good for you! I'm learning that running is almost as much a mental battle as a physical one. Congrats on winning both!