I’m trying to do good today. I got up at seven, got Younger to school on time, and did my morning meditation.
I’ve been planning on going for a six-mile run today. Took me ten minutes to map out the route properly. It’s going to be an ambitious goal, if I can remember the route properly.
Later, same day…
I did the six miles. One hour, five minutes, almost exactly ten minutes longer than my five mile run. Will be interesting to figure out where I’m gaining and losing time against my average. It’s still difficult to plan the proper route. It must have taken me ten minutes this morning to figure out a route that came out to around six miles. I actually went out further than I ever have, circled out along a local park and grocery store before coming back to my neighborhood. I still had to cut back all the way back to Younger’s school, and then take an extra block for good measure, just to get the distance that I wanted. I guess it beats running laps or a treadmill.
I’m listening to podcasts for these last two runs, instead of meditating like I have been doing. Pounding feet on the pavement is very meditative, and carrying my phone with me now is a PITA. Skipping podcast commercials, futzing with my headphones, it’s all a pain.
I wanted to turn back almost immediately after setting out. It was colder than I expected, and it started to drizzle a minute or two out. My hands were very cold and I wanted to turn back for gloves, but I was already around my first corner and knew that I would warm up after the first mile or two. I was right.
Still, it was wet and cold. The last time I ran with wet shoes I think I injured myself, so I was very wary about hurting myself. Even more so because I am pushing myself so hard. I just tried to conserve energy and maintain a low-impact form. I think I did a good job. At one point, probably after the five-mile mark, I was so tired that I was basically doing speed walking. Still, I picked it up at my usual spot and finished the last turn onto my street at full speed, although full speed at the end of this run was probably not as hard as usual.
I still feel like I had plenty of gas left in the tank at the end, but my legs were tired. This was the first run in a while that I can remember being sore before. Certainly not when I ran five miles this weekend.
So if my route distance is accurate, I may have actually run a faster time today than I did on my five mile run. That’s interesting. I need to try some shorter runs and figure out how hard I can push myself. I think it’s all about the breath work.