Thoughts on Running

It feels like I am making strides *har har* in the running department. :) No seriously though, it seems like since I ran the mile, and I saw what I am capable of, that I feel like I can do anything.

Yesterday, hubby and I rode our bikes down to the track again. Instead of running the mile again, I went back to the C25K workout and moved up to week 5. I am going to attempt to follow the schedule and go on to week 6 next week. Usually, I stick with a week until I feel comfortable to move to the next week. So in total, I went 2 miles. 1.5 miles running and 1/2 mile walking total. It took me exactly 30 minutes. The schedule is 1/2 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile run. So considering I walked 1/2 mile of the 2 miles, I feel like 30 minutes is an ok time for me right now. That means I was consistent in my speed because I run 1 mile in 13:15. It was extremely humid yesterday and that made it very hard to run. It was even worse when the sun popped out. But I finished and I’m very proud of myself for doing so!

I find that when I first start running, that my body says, “I want to sit down, why are are you doing this to me?” and my mind says, “You can do this, you’ve done this before! You’re capable of anything. Just keep going.” And after about 1/4 mile, my body starts to give in and everything goes well from there. Maybe it’s just getting those muscles working. I do warm up with a 5 minute bike ride to the track. Not just a leisurely ride, but I get my heart rate up. There seriously is a mind/body connection in running. I always hear people talking about that, so maybe this is an example of it. So not only will I be working my muscles, but I’ll be working my willpower by making myself continue.

As my body screams to just sit down and rest, I remember that 2 years ago, I couldn’t even run 1/8 of a mile. It will get easier, just like it has so far!