Nurse on the Run

I had such a weird run today!  I thought it was going to go well since the temperature was supposed to be a little cooler, which was true since it was in the 80’s instead of the 90’s, but the humidity is still in full force, especially since it stormed last night.  Eight miles was on the schedule, which is one of my favorite distances to run because it’s long enough that you can get all warmed up, but you’re not super tired at the end of it.  (Or at least…that’s just me!)  I headed out and immediately was quite toasty, while my legs felt a bit tired.  I never judge a run by the first mile, but I just wasn’t feeling it!

Let’s just say that the run didn’t get much better…I hit the hills and it took all my willpower to get up them!  I kept thinking to myself, “Why didn’t I decide to run half marathons?  Or 10ks?  Maybe I’m over this marathon business…”  Honestly, plenty of people run 10ks and they’re quite content with their lives.  I pressed onward hoping my legs would wake up and think that running is a fantastic idea, but that never happened…

Until mile 6!  I have no clue what happened after mile six, although the temperate felt like it dropped a little (this was probably all in my head), and I checked my Garmin to find that I was running a 7:20 mile…what??  I was just slogging on the hills at 8:30.  Running was suddenly effortless!  Clearly nothing magically changed after six miles, but I felt glorious for the last two miles of my run.

Maybe that’s why I run long distances…the further I go, the better I feel!  (Generally speaking…)

Tuesday, August 17
8.05 miles in 1:03:47, avg pace of 7:55 (last mile in 7:09…what??)

I guess I don’t hate running after all and I’ll stick to marathons for now.    I’ve heard people say that if you don’t feel like running, head out for a mile and if you still don’t like it, turn around and go home.  I’ve never actually stopped after a mile, so that just goes to show getting your foot out the door is half the battle.

How do you push yourself through hard runs?  Walk breaks?  A mantra?  Let me hear it!