Two days ago I set out to run 8 miles and ended up running slightly more than a half marathon 13.1 miles...it was awesome considering my last long run (I use this term loosely as anything more than 7 miles is long to me) was more than a month ago on June 5th...my first half marathon.
We did a family fun run on June 26th and something bothered me during that run. I noticed that first mile/mile and a half or so, my legs were like lead and full of lactic acid. That meant that I was running faster than my body was accustomed to and it hurt enough that I had to walk off the acid. I decided that after this run, I was going to focus on shorter, more intense runs to strengthen my underdeveloped fast-twitch muscles. As a result, I reached a personal one mile best of 8 minutes 43 seconds which translates to 6.08 mph. Keep in mind that when I began this endeavor a mere six months ago, my top speed was 3.8 mph. If that is not progress, I don't know what is, lol ;D Although my recent half marathon is nothing to brag about, I did improve by 12 minutes.
Today, I ran one mile at 6.42 mph and that felt great. What felt even better was the random sprinting I was inspired to do. My muscles were screaming..run faster! This again is nothing to brag about but I mention it because it is PROGRESS. I have never hit anything faster than 8mph on the treadmill and in today's 20-second sprints I hit speeds I've never felt and it was absolutely EXHILIRATING! Sprinting at 9.73 miles per hour made me feel like an ANIMAL. Seriously! It was akin to an out of body experience and I was observing some crazed woman. The wind in my hair, my elongated strides, my arms in sync propelling me forward...ahh...TOTAL BLISS I tell ya, TOTAL BLISS!!
From what I've been reading what I'm experiencing is the beginner's accelerated growth curve where a runner sees great progress in a fairly short amount of time weeks/months etc. Also, since I've built my endurance already, I feel a very strong pull to now build strength by cross training and doing speed-work because this will eventually yield to faster clock-in times
I do have to throw something out there. I am a very cautious person by nature and am approaching this new found love for speed with caution. I have heard of newbies either injuring themselves or over-training or both because of an over-zealous need for speed. My mantra in everything I do is safety first. My daughter is thoroughly trained and when I say "Gigi, what do you have to be at all times?" She responds "I have to be safe mommy!" Yes, baby. Safety first. So far my granny-approach to training is working out well as I am now building upon a good foundation that I've built..one step at a time = ) A close second to safety is education. With this regard, I'm devouring a running book and seriously listening to my body. One needs to train the mind, body, & spirit so you know when to GO..., GO FASTER, SLOW DOWN, REST and STOP!
I pray to continue to run injury-free and to enjoy the good health & energy this activity gives me ;D
I pray to continue to run injury-free and to enjoy the good health & energy this activity gives me ;D
I feel immensely blessed to have found such joy in this sport that I hopefully inspire someone new to take it on. Here's an article on how to start. It starts with walking. I started with walking and have no shame with admitting that..you shouldn't either!
Hope you find your own "running fix" whatever that is as long as you're MOVING! lol! ;D
Have a C&B week everyone ;D!!
No comments:
Post a Comment