Sunday, March 4, 2012

Mind over matter

Since the half marathon, I feel like I've overcome some huge mental hurdles in running.  I had the best run I've ever had, running 7 miles before I needed a walk break.  That was a huge deal for me!  Granted, I kept my pace very slow until mile 4 or 5, but it just felt great to know that I could run for that long.

During my first run after getting home I was still very sore and wanted to take things slow.  I staying between a 12 to 13:00 pace the entire time, not feeling guilty because I knew I was giving my muscles some recovery.  Running for 30 minutes or 3 miles straight has always been a challenge for me, and I now believe that it's a mostly mental challenge.  When I was out there, even if I felt like I was getting a little tired, I would think, "I ran 7 miles without stopping!  Why in the world would I stop now when I've only done 1 so far?"

My run yesterday was the same.  I went a little faster and actually ran over to my parents' for a short visit, so I ended up logging 3.5 miles instead of the 3 I had planned.  The weather here has been beautiful, although it turned a little cold today so I stayed inside.

I'm planning on a 10 mile run sometime next weekend...because I've already picked out my next half marathon and it's on April 14!  It's the Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon, so it's in my neck of the woods and I won't have to travel too far.  I'm sure it will be slightly more hilly and not nearly as entertaining as the Princess Half, but I'm still looking forward to it!

My husband is also getting geared up for his very first triathlon season.  Since he did the Princess Half with me he's been focused mostly on running the last few months, but now he's ready to get back in the pool and on his bike!  Seeing him go on bike rides has me thinking I might want to start biking too...hmmmm.

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