I just ran 10 miles. That's just crazy to me. The craziest part is that it was fun and it went by in no time at all.
Today was my first run with my new training group. When embarking on my marathon training quest, at first I was resigned to run mile after mile in solitude. Then, one day it dawned on me that would really suck. Also, I didn't want to carry a water bottle around on these long weekend runs. The local group I joined has about 400 members, but they are broken down into smaller pace groups. Each week, there's a new route with aid stations set up every 2 miles.
I arrived at today's location at about 6:45 a.m. I was nervous on multiple levels, but that quickly evaporated because the second I walked up to the starting area, the 12 minute mile group was about to head out. I decided to go with that pace group. Yeah, I'm a much faster runner than that, but the coach said to start out conservatively. The goal of these long runs is to increase your endurance, not your speed.
Normally, I'm not a very outgoing person. I'm not the type to walk up to a stranger and say "Hi, my name's Morgan. What's yours?" But today, I thought it would be in my best interest to put myself out there, so I did. I introduced myself to another new member, and the two of us wound up running the next 10 miles together. We talked the entire way, about family, running, life, and cooking. She asked me how I'd gotten into running, and I gave her some background on my weight loss. When you're not paying very much attention to how much running can suck, the time really flies by.
After the run, there was a pancake breakfast where I met even more people. As we ate our pancakes and sausage, we dished about last weekend's Hospital Hill run and how difficult it was. When I shared my finish time with the group, they quickly informed me I was running in the wrong pace group and I needed to be with the 11 minute mile folks, so I'll give that a try next time.
So, yay for running 10 miles AND enjoying myself simultaneously. Woot! Oh, and double woot for getting back down to 159 lbs. today.
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4 comments:
Running double-digit mileage for the very first time certainly is a great accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself. Congratulations.
WTG! Sounds like a nice way to run.
Hi Morgan,
Fair dues on getting in double figures - it's great to see that you're working hard and getting results! Well done!
Sean
PS: Good luck with the 11min/mile group!
Hi Morgan,
We met on Saturday at the Runner Edge workout and I thought I'd check out your blog. First of all, congrats again on all of your hard work to loose the weight. I ended up telling a lot of people about you later that day about how much you had accomplished. I enjoyed running with you and am still amazed that we ran 10 miles. You really did inspire me to run the extra miles that day so thanks for that! I hope you are feeling okay after the run. I decided not to join the runners edge for the Fall program and wait until I actually want to run a race which may not be too far away. I hope that you enjoy your Saturday workouts and let me know if you ever need a running partner on other days. I'd be happy to talk and run with you. I am also very impressed with your blog. I enjoy your sense of humor and writting style. I think it is very brave to let the world in to your struggles with weight and life in general. I know it will help a lot of people that are going through similiar things in their lives. Good luck with your weight loss journey and the marathon in October. I wish you the best of luck! I'll defintely check on your blog from time to time to see how you are doing. Laura
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