Getting Closer to Half Marathon Distance

2012/11/13 at 10:30 pm | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, Inspiration, lifestyle change, Milestone, Motivation, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments Off on Getting Closer to Half Marathon Distance
Tags: running, weight, weight loss

It’s been getting a bit chilly here in southern California. Sure, 40 degrees at 7 am isn’t exactly freezing when compared to other parts of the country this time of year but for those of us that have lived out here all our lives, it’s pretty cold.

But regardless of the weather I made it a point to go out Sunday morning for a decent run since the previous week’s run of 5k was just awful: I had little motivation to do it and was tired by Mile 1. Such is life.

Last Sunday was not the case. I knew I was going to go at least 5 miles. This was in my mind starting on Friday and into Saturday. So when Sunday finally rolled around, I was more than ready.

And in the end, I reached yet another milestone: 8 miles! Here’s how it looked on Sports Tracker.

There’s very little difference when comparing it to my 7-mile run from two weeks ago. I think I may have gone maybe an extra block but pretty much followed the same path.

Overall it was a good run and I didn’t really hit my groove until Mile 4 along the bike path. It was then when my legs pretty much took over and I was on cruise control, and also when I was passed by a few runners who exchanged pleasantries with me as we continued. One asked how I was doing.

“Starting Mile 5,” I said smiling.

“Only 10 more to go!” he replied. I chuckled and nodded as if that was really going to happen.

But they passed me I began to think about it. Would it be so outlandish to think that another 10 would be possible? After all, I started running after walking 1.5 miles during my lunch hour got boring and from there is just snowballed:

• 1.5 miles became 2 miles
• 2 miles turned into 5k
• 5k stretched into 5 miles
• 5 miles has been increasing incrementally into the 8 miles I did on Sunday

So no, to think that I might one day reach that point is definitely not crazy. The next time out I might just choose to add another mile and push it up to 9, then 10 miles. Once that’s easy then why not add another 5k which would turn it into a half marathon?

It’s looking very likely but it will continue to be baby steps.

The good thing about my 8-miler was that my average speed, average pace, and max speed were better than my 7 mile run. I’m pretty happy about this.

Now comes the bad news: I may have injured myself. Gah, not what I wanted! I have a slight pain on the bottom of my right foot and ankle, and the only thing I can compare the pain to is when I sprained my ankle years ago. It’s not as bad but the feeling is definitely similar.

There’s a good chance I am going to stay off of it this weekend as I don’t want to injure it any further of have it worsen while I’m out running. If anything, I may have to revert to walking a few times before picking up the pace and distance. It’s a day-by-day thing that I’m keeping a close eye on.

The good news? This is the first time I’ve been injured since I starting running some 2 years ago. I know they happen but man, it stinks having to sit on the sidelines.

I’m off to tend to my gimpy foot. Here’s hoping it’s back in order in a few weeks – 9 miles, I’m coming for you!

Oh, and as for my kicking the soda habit? It’s been almost 3 weeks and while the temptation has been there, I haven’t touched one. I’m sticking to my plan and I refuse to let it get the best of me!