A story of going from being a non-runner to planning for a marathon in three years...

Monday, October 26, 2009

Season-Appropriate Running




After taking a week off from running, my legs felt a little rusty when I went out for my running yesterday. Typically I would go for a long run (that is, anything over 6 miles) on the weekend but I thought I'd take it easy after my little break.

However, I have to admit, I've been battling these thoughts that a short run isn't even worth it. Somehow I got it into my head that anything shorter than 5 miles is pointless for me to do.

So, my original plan yesterday was do to either 3.1 or 6.2 miles (preferably the 6.2). The Livejournal Runner's Community was hosting a virtual race for both of those distances. I figured I'd head out and see how I felt and then make my decision about distance.

The first half mile? Painful! My right hip hurt, my head felt heavy, and my heart was pounding. I could definitely tell that I'd taken a week off. I'm sure it didn't help that I'd woken up fairly dehydrated. Or that I'd made a rookie mistake and gone out too fast.

After that first half mile, though, I felt great. I decided to try a new route and see where it took me in terms of mileage. So, I crossed a street and went an entirely new direction.

And ended up in the graveyard pictured above.

I like graveyards. I think they are beautiful and peaceful. So, instead of being creeped out or scared, I enjoyed running alongside the gleaming headstones and admiring the fall leaves on the trees. I stopped to take a few more photos shortly after I hit the two mile mark.






After that, though, I felt horrible. I tried to pick the pace back up but it felt like a struggle. My head was pounding and I literally staggered the last few feet of my run. I didn't even make it to the 4 mile mark! I did, however, remember to glance at my watch at the 5K point (28:21, not including the stop for photography) so that I'd have a time to report for the virtual race.

I'm not sure what happened. Maybe I picked something up in the graveyard ;-) It is that time of year, after all!

****************

Stats


Activity
Route:--Elev. Avg:620 ft
Location:Forest Park, ILElev. Gain:+0 ft
Date:10/25/09Up/Downhill: [+9/-9]
Time:11:06 AMDifficulty:1.9 / 5.0
 
Weather:Mostly Cloudy
 57 F temp; 57% humidity
 57 F heat index; winds S 16 G 23
Performance

Distance: 3.39 miles
Time:0:32:34
Speed:6.2 mph
Pace:9' 36 /mi
Calories:401
Map
 
Elevation (ft)
 
Pace (min/mile)
 
Splits
MilePace (min/mile)Speed (mph)Elevation
Gain
actual+/- avgactual+/- avg
18' 54-0' 426.7+0.5+3 ft
29' 15-0' 216.5+0.2-3 ft
310' 09+0' 335.9-0.30 ft
end12' 49+3' 134.7-1.60 ft
Versus average of 9' 36 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

3 comments:

No Longer Using said...

hehe!! it IS that time of year. love the photos. way to go on the run as you felt.

Bayjb said...

I love that you stop and take pictures on your run. Know it can kill your time but I love that you have those moments to document. I need to remember my camera on my walks.

Anonymous said...

Graveyards SERIOUSLY used to freak me out! But where I used to live, I always ran by a really old one on my long runs. And you're right...they are so peaceful and quiet. I kind of miss going by it. :-)

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