Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Wednesday Workout Update - Five Mile Victory!

I can't believe how great I felt doing that five mile run on Saturday.  Everything came together and I had one of those runs...the kind that reminds you of how much you love to run and why you keep coming back.  Jeff and I set off at almost the back of the pack, and made a pact to keep running to at least the first mile marker.  I thought for sure I'd want to stop before then, but surprised myself by keeping going for another third of a mile.  And in all honesty, I could have kept going, but Ricky Bobby was not registering anything for me, which was bugging me, and also there was the first "hill" (OK, really a slope...) and I kinda wanted to walk it.  Luckily, I discovered the problem with Ricky Bobby was *ahem* user error, as apparently I'd pressed the lap button when we started running instead of the all important START button.  Oops.  At least Jeff had started his Garmin correctly, so we had the total mileage going.  But I wanted to be able to see my pace, because I'm trying to run slow and steady on these long runs, and too often I'm all over the place, from a 9:30 to a 14:00 pace.

Anyway, we walked for about a minute and a half, and then started running again...and ran all the way up "Harvey Hill"!  You guys, back when I was doing my half marathon training, this hill kicked my butt more times than I can count, and I ALWAYS had a hard time getting up it without a little walking.  Not only did I run the whole thing, but when we got to the top and turned the corner?  I kept running.  We'd been slowly gaining on two ladies, who we trail every long run.  Jeff kept saying "they're half your age - look at how well you're doing!" and you know, that was pretty motivating, even for this non-competitive person.  We caught up to them at the three mile marker, where the water and Gatorade was waiting for us.  I stopped to walk for just a few seconds as I took out my reward chocolate Gu, but kept going, since I knew that they all would easily catch up to me and I didn't need to refill my handheld water bottle anyway.  I sucked down the Gu (yummy - like a melted candy bar)(a lot of runners don't need fuel that early, but I can barely eat anything before these long runs and I wanted to be sure I had energy to get to mile five) and sure enough, the ladies and Jeff caught back up.  We all kept running, but then a funny thing happened:  we passed the ladies.  And we stayed ahead of them!  I was shocked.  Shocked! 

Just past mile four, I heard from behind a voice saying "Shelley, you're doing great!" - it was Kim, who had arrived after we'd all set off and had caught up to us (she's a speed demon!).  She finished the run with Jeff and I - we chatted a bit about our outfits (you will see why in the picture below), and then mostly she and Jeff talked the rest of the way while I just tried to concentrate on getting to the finish...yes, I was getting tired, but I never stopped running.  Go me!  Five miles!!!  And we weren't the last ones to finish, finally!  Wheeeeeeee!!!
Kim and I in our Skirt Sports ensembles...both wearing Gym Girl Ultra running skirts and their Signature Tees - how fun!

I also wanted to mention that Jeff and I have been playing "race ya" during our short runs on Thursdays...basically we do a half mile warm up, and then pick a point (light post, trash can, statue, bridge), say "race ya to it" and then run as fast as we can to it.  Great fun, and we've been getting in about 30 minutes of a combination of the warm up, the racing, and the walking-while-gasping-for-breath-afterward (OK, just me).  I mentioned this to Helen in an email and she said we were doing "fartleks" (lolololol)(yes I'm an adolescent boy) and that they help you to increase your pace.  It definitely increased the fun in our run, so there's that.  At this point, I just want to run and enjoy myself...and lately, I've been pretty successful at that!

21 comments:

  1. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.
    and ADORE how playful you and jeff are.
    Im aware blogs are just a snippet of our lifes :) but I love your dynamic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shelley, every Wednesday your workout post brings a smile on my face. I'm so happy for you you're back at running. And like Miz I love it how playful Jeff and you are. Great way to keep it fun together.

    You know what, I struggle with my long runs lately but you motivate me. Last Saturday I didn't really want to run but I went anyway. After 3K I could choose a different path which would make my run about 4 miles. But I thought of you and that you would be running 5 miles later and said to myself: if Shelley can, you can and I moved on and ran 6 miles. And this isn't the first time this has happened. So thank you for being my motivator, even if you don't know it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yep, digging the Jeff and you thing here too! And the five miles is awesome. Congratulations - and you deserve one of those great runs - you've stuck with it when it would have been so easy after your injury to just set it aside. Good job! And you are very pretty in pink :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hannah and I do that when we walk - we'll walk for a while and then out of nowhere I'll say "race you to that mailbox!" and just take off. I think we use more ab muscles laughing though when we do that!

    Love your matching running outfits - and so happy the running is clicking for you again - glad you had the patience to wait it out until you were healthy! :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is just nothing in the world like a run that clicks! Good to have this to hold on to when you hit a run where you struggle. Yep, Running Shelley is back - fartleks and all!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YAY!! I love this! Way to go on your 5 miles!! That's such a huge deal after your ankle setback!! WOO-HOO!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yessiree! You are on your way! When is your next marathon scheduled?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great skirts, love them. I think taking a Gu during a 5 miler is just right. It did make me smile...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nothing can hold you back, not even an ankle injury! You look so fit! Keep running! :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. So happy you're past the injury that able to run again! I know how much you love it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Shelley! I just found you through your post on Low Fat Dressing. It's so cool to have read your story (well, an abbreviated version). I've been working on weight loss through clean eating the past few months and, very recently started running, so I'm going to be following you for advice and inspiration :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Shelley! Thanks for stopping by the Turtles blog today... yes, thrilled to be back and loving it. :)

    Soooo.... from one 'adolescent boy' to another (hee hee)... Yay, you! Great run, and sounds like YOU are enjoying, too. Awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I bike and walk instead of run, but I think I'm going to start calling intervals, "race ya" - much more fun.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love to hear about you enjoying running again! That running outfit is pure awesome, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You and Kim look so cute! Running twins! Congrats on the 5 miles.

    (and thanks for the comment on my blog. Nice people are good people).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Chocolate Gu as melted candy is the perfect description. You look SO CUTE in the pic. CONGRATULATIONS on an amazing run : )

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am loving those skirts!

    Congrats on a great run. Gu is like chocolate frosting in a tube. So tasty. "oops, I think I need to refuel again." nom nom nom

    ReplyDelete
  18. Glad to hear you are back on track. And you would not catch me dead in one of those skirt/skorts.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It sounds so fun to have your husband to do your runs and races with. And you look so cute in that skirt - I love running skirts.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wooooo for five miles! I just found out I've got tendonitis in my hip, so I'm on the strengthening and stretching regimen for a few weeeks and no running - boooo!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are now moderated to prevent spammers from leaving, well, spam - but rest assured that as soon as I read a real comment, I will publish it. So please, comment away, even though the blog is officially closed. Thanks!