11 miles and halfway there.

So I had a nice birthday but a very late night. By the time I got to bed it was around 1:30. I slept pretty good until early morning...when kitty started being kitty. It makes me feel a little better because she seems to be acting normal but it did not help my state of mind. I dragged myself up at 8 and piddled around until I finally got out the door a little after 9. It was chilly, but not nearly as cold as yesterday. That pleased me immensely. I was able to run without my balaclava and it feels like Spring is almost in the air. Of course in Wyoming that doesn't really mean anything....but it would be nice to not have to layer up like a Sherpa to go out an run. Anyway...



I would be lying if I said my left knee didn't hurt. The good news is that the pain was more tolerable than the last few runs I had. I hope that is a good sign. The right one started hurting about midway through this run, but it was minimal and barely hurts now.



The weather really could not have been much better for me...I do like to be cool when I run and the sun was out and there was very little wind. It took me awhile to find any real type of groove and I can really tell that my pace is not what it was 4 weeks ago. The run up the bridge that goes into west Laramie was really nice today. If any of you are in this area, I highly suggest jogging up it...at least once. The view of the mountains is truly something. It definitely gets the hammies and the calves but it is still nice.



I was hoping to see the gentlemen out with his dog out on Welsh St. but no such luck today. The dirt roads are so grated with the washboard that it doesn't feel great to be on it...but for some reason there is something that feels natural about running on it. The highlight of my time on the dirt road was a herd of deer (I believe...could have been Elk...but I am just not sure...not use to seeing them in that big of numbers) I was able to watch them jump over two sets of fences and across the dirt road in front of me. It was very inspiring.



The last two miles I wanted to get my pace up, so I kicked it up a couple of notches the rest of the way home. I still felt like I had something in the tank...I just need to get the groove back earlier in the run to get my time back to where they should be. I am hoping that the decline of the Colorado will bode well for my time....if not my quads! My time today was 1 hr. 46 min and 32 secs....definitely subpar....but I will still take it.



My route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=S+30th+St+to:Welsh+Ln+to:Reynolds+St+to:41.318882,-105.578699+to:E+Gibbon+St&hl=en&geocode=Fap4dgIdhAW1-Q%3BFahXdgIdGFK1-Q%3BFQiHdgId6CW0-Q%3BFa6SdgIdrvO0-Q%3B%3BFWR1dgIdMf60-Q&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4&sll=41.325393,-105.576982&sspn=0.016436,0.038452&ie=UTF8&ll=41.323427,-105.588741&spn=0.065747,0.153809&z=13

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...all mileage made.

I am sorry for anyone that might check this with any regularity. With the issues I have been having with cat ad the amount of school work I have had this week, I have not had much down time to catch up. I did reach all of the target mileage. Tuesday's 4 miler was hard. The pain I have in my left knee seems like it is here to stay...yay! My stopwatch stopped working before I recorded the time, but I seem to remember being around a 9 min and 34 sec mile. Which is not great...but ok. I did Wednesday night at the gym on the treadmill. I did not feel like I had any energy and that worries me a little. I ended up doing the 7 miles in 1 hr 6 min and 5 secs. I really had a difficult time maintaining any type of focus. The pain in the knee has been getting a little harder to ignore. I made sure to do more stretching when I was done. The run this morning was again all about the knee. It hurt the entire time. I am hoping these next two days off will help for Saturday's shorter long run of 11 miles. As for the time this morning, I don't have my time handy but believe it was around 38 minutes and 30 seconds. I will check and update tonight when I get home. Tomorrow is my birthday...kind of wish I was running....but I will enjoy the day off regardless. Thanks for reading.

15 miles that wasn't....

So this week has been a real roller-coaster of emotion. My cat has been really sick. She has been the only real constant in my life the past 12 years so it has been pretty hard to deal with. I am not sure she is going to be ok and it is rough. So I apologize if anyone had been checking to see if I made 15 miles this week. I did...sort of. More on that in a bit.

I went out a little after 9 on Saturday. I set my alarm but must have done so incorrectly. I really like to be on the road my 8 at the latest. Just feels like I lose quite a bit of my day if I get out too late. I read that many long distance runners are out by like 4:45 or 5. Someday that may be the way to go...but quite frankly, I need it to warm up and get lighter so I can see.

My hamstrings had been really tight sense Wednesday's 7 miles run on the treadmill. They were pretty tight for about the first 4-5 miles of the run, then kind of loosened up a bit. I had some heavy food the night before and it took its toll on me. I actually had to stop at a gas station and use the restroom. I think that kind of zonked me. I will say though that I was able to get back into a groove, albeit a little slower. That gives me hope...if not speed. I need to figure out something with the chaffing. I won't go into details...but I have tried the Vaseline type things and I still get some horrible places. Something needs to change....

The best part of my run was seeing another runner out on the outskirts of town. He was probably in his mid 50's and out with his dog. He gave me a friendly smile and a wave....asked how I was doing and continued on his way. Just made me feel good inside.

The last 5 miles were pretty hard for me. A had a lot of pain in quite a few areas. I kept chugging though and got through my route. I made it is around 2 hours 32 min and 17 secs...give or take. Horrible time. The worst part is that when I went to make the route map it comes up as only 14.7 miles...what the heck? I followed the same route last week and then added the rest of my old route that is 2 miles and should have hit 15 on the nose. It is frustrating in a way that I can't really explain...to think you achieved your goal and then didn't....really bums me out. Hope this week is better. Thanks for reading.

My route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=E+Harney+St+to:Spring+Creek+Dr+to:Russell+St+to:Snowy+Range+Rd%2FWY-130+to:Reynolds+St+to:41.320784,-105.557585&hl=en&geocode=Fap4dgIdwAa1-Q%3BFRKBdgIdWk-1-Q%3BFVc8dgIdzRi1-Q%3BFeA9dgIdzMG0-Q%3BFUx1dgIdpSa0-Q%3BFZaRdgIdPgm1-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=6&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5&sll=41.321009,-105.564494&sspn=0.013827,0.026779&ie=UTF8&ll=41.316271,-105.581102&spn=0.013828,0.026779&z=15

And then....
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Gibbon+St&daddr=N+13th+St+to:N+15th+St+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:E+Harney+St&hl=en&geocode=FXR1dgIdIP20-Q%3BFWZsdgIdKvq0-Q%3BFe5kdgIdHAW1-Q%3BFW9mdgIdS0e1-Q%3BFYJodgId5k-1-Q%3BFRCBdgIdUFG1-Q&mra=cc&via=1,2,3,4&sll=41.3174,-105.566983&sspn=0.013828,0.026779&ie=UTF8&z=15

4 miles yesterday

So I forgot to get my entry in for yesterday. I didn't fall asleep until a little after 3:00 Thurday morning...so I did not get my run done in the morning. I did get to it in the afternoon. I kept a strong pace the whole run. The first mile up hill was 9 min 40 secs and for the whole route I hit 35 min and 32 secs so I am pleased. My hammies are really giving me grief today and that concerns me for my long 15 miler tomorrow. Just have to wait it out and play it by ear.

7 miles on the mill

Tuesday nights just don't like me....that is all there is to it. I could not sleep to save my life again. I just have had so much work to do in classes that I can't shut my brain down when it is time to sleep. I thought I had been doing well with getting up at 7:30, but when I had to be up at 6:15 my brain just stuck it to me. Anyway...I did not get up and run this morning. Wednesday is my worst day by far. I have to do the longest of the weekday runs and I have three classes and then I go straight to work. So I think it was a moral victory that I made my self go run after work for my 7 miles. For the record...I will be celebrating Daylight Savings like no other. It just gets dark too early for me to get in my run.

When I got to the gym all the treadmills were full. I had to wait awhile...and to be honest...I think I might have sniped it from someone else waiting...but I didn't see her...anyway....I still feel bad if I did. My goal was an ambitious 7 mile hour. I needed to walk a bit and did not get the mill up to 7 until 9 minutes in. That being said...I did finish the seven miles at 1 hr and 4 minutes and 30 secs during my cool down....I think if I had started out walking and then stopped and reset I would have easily hit the 7 mile in an hour...I just had to push it a bit to make up for the walking. So I was fairly pleased.

Hope I can sleep tonight...but I have been working on programming for a couple of hours so I am not optimistic. Thanks for reading!

4 mile Tuesday

Well my knee pain really went down over yesterday. That made me really happy. I keep worrying about all these injuries other people tend to get when continually beating their bodies up and so I am concerned about it happening to me. I have been really lucky so far...I just hope it continues. The weather was cold, but not too bad. The wind was supposed to be blowing really hard but it also was bad at all. I had downloaded some more tunes from my other computer and so I tried to use that to push me a little bit. The first mile I felt was a decent pace, but I did not look down at the mile mark. My end time tells me I was probably a bit slower to start than normal...because I really pushed pretty hard the last two miles. I had to run in the street a couple of times to avoid walkers and that always make me nervous. One...I really don't want to get plucked off by a car and two....I don't like coming up on people and scaring them. I have tried announcing my presence, but no one ever seems to notice so I feel dumb for saying anything. It was a nice run even though I had a lot to do before class. My time was 36 min 18 secs. I had to pause a few times for turning cars and crosswalks....but it is ok. When I don't hit that 9 min mile I get annoyed and use that to push harder the next run. Tomorrow morning will be coming really early...seven miles....

My route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+30th+St+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:N+22nd+St+to:Business+I+80%2FE+Grand+Ave%2FUS-30+to:N+11th+St+to:E+Flint+St+to:41.317754,-105.579214&hl=en&geocode=Fe54dgIdVwG1-Q%3BFZN2dgIdglG1-Q%3BFW9qdgId30-1-Q%3BFepadgIdnDW1-Q%3BFT5YdgIdZvW0-Q%3BFYlsdgId_u-0-Q%3BFRJydgIdtve0-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=7&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=41.315304,-105.576725&sspn=0.013828,0.026779&ie=UTF8&z=15

14 miles...or what I call the Tour de Laramie

I am not going to lie...I was really scared about the 14 mile run today. The 12 mile run/walk that I dragged myself through a couple of weeks ago shaked my nerve and to a small extent my resolve. I charted out my course last night and to look at it on a map is a little overwhelming.

I pushed myself out of bed at 7:30 this morning. The windchill was -1 and it was overcast. I started out pretty slow and told myself I just wanted to get through it...without walking if possible. The route took me way out of my normal zone and to be honest, I really liked it. I tried more street running to help save my shins and had some mixed results. In this run there were my two large hills....but then add in three bridges and my legs really had a hard time of it. The bridge that goes over Curtis in Laramie is really something once you reach the top. You can see all of Laramie really well. It was a great experience. My excursion through West Laramie was pretty uneventful. All in all it went ok. My time (which I will post for sure tomorrow) was better than a 10 minute mile....but well off the pace of 9:00 min which is always my hope. All in all I am just pretty proud for pushing all the way through without walking. I beat my longest distance by two miles. My legs are killing me but that just goes with the territory. Time was 2 hrs 18 min 48 secs.

My route:
1st Leg
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=41.318431,-105.634575&daddr=S+3rd+St%2FUS-287+to:Spring+Creek+Dr+to:Spring+Creek+Dr+to:N+30th+St+to:E+Harney+St&hl=en&geocode=%3BFZ1XdgIdoMS0-Q%3BFTQxdgIdu8a0-Q%3BFYQ7dgIdNga1-Q%3BFX6AdgIdUFG1-Q%3BFap4dgId7Ae1-Q&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4&sll=41.323717,-105.617065&sspn=0.055305,0.107117&ie=UTF8&ll=41.325779,-105.611572&spn=0.055303,0.107117&z=13

2nd Leg
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Snowy+Range+Rd%2FWY-130&daddr=W+Curtis+St%2FStockyards+Rd+to:41.321364,-105.5581+to:E+Gibbon+St&hl=en&geocode=Fax2dgId8iO0-Q%3BFX2cdgId2Eu0-Q%3B%3BFWx1dgIdp_20-Q&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=15&via=1,2&sll=41.322428,-105.563335&sspn=0.013827,0.026779&ie=UTF8&ll=41.322814,-105.629683&spn=0.013826,0.026779&z=15

4 miles and my first little injury

So I got up a little later than I had planned. I did get out the door with the right amount of clothing for the first time in awhile...so that is good. My left foot was hurting on the walk over but only stayed for about a mile and a half. The running went ok. I felt pretty tired the whole time....but the pace was fairly decent. When I ended, I did a short walk around the apartment, but in hindsight wished I walked quite a bit farther. I stretched against the building like I always do and then headed in side. I did 100 sit-ups and 80 crunches and that felt pretty good. I did 16 push-ups and that didn't feel so good (I have very little upper body strength...it is something I am trying to rectify....but the truth is I don't have a lot). I took a short bath to try to loosen up a little bit and stretched in the tub. After my shower I went to take a step out of the tub and tweaked my right calf pretty good. The pain was instant and pretty intense. I tried to stretch and rub the area but it stayed pretty tight. I walked a little bit and that seemed to loosen it up a tiny bit. The rest of the day it has been tender but manageable. I have tweaked it like this in the past and am hopeful it won't be too tough. I will probably put some Icy-Hot tonight and hope that helps as well. I am not going to give up on my long run this weekend, but I might....might push it back until Sunday. We will see. My time for this run was 36 min and 35 secs.

My route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+30th+St+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:N+22nd+St+to:Business+I+80%2FE+Grand+Ave%2FUS-30+to:N+11th+St+to:E+Flint+St+to:41.317754,-105.579214&hl=en&geocode=Fe54dgIdVwG1-Q%3BFZN2dgIdglG1-Q%3BFW9qdgId30-1-Q%3BFepadgIdnDW1-Q%3BFT5YdgIdZvW0-Q%3BFYlsdgId_u-0-Q%3BFRJydgIdtve0-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=7&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=41.315304,-105.576725&sspn=0.013828,0.026779&ie=UTF8&z=15

7 mile Wednesday

Could not fall asleep last night. Ended up skipping my first class to get my run in. I hate doing that....but all he does is read from the Power Point when we review....so I will review the Power Point on my own. The run itself did not go very well. I feel like I have to get used to stopping and starting. I think it is something I need to force myself to do. When I get in my rhythm I can just keep going and going ....but if something small stops me, it is very difficult to find that rhythm. By office is about halfway through my 7 mile run so I stopped in to grab a fast drink of water (yes I have two flasks on my belt but I needed a reason in my head). I only stayed about 4 or 5 minutes, but that was all it took to get all flustered. About a half-mile down the road, my cell phone came out of its holder in my pants and slid down my leg....only God knows what anyone would have thought if they had seem me adjusting it in public. It came out two more times during the run, which rarely ever happens. Think some of it is in my head....but I need to check my pants when I have a minute to make sure the holder is still secure.

It was very very cold and windy this morning. It said the windchill was 6 but it felt colder when I was running into the wind. During all my frustrations I must have hit a button on my stopwatch, because when I finally got home it said 50 minutes as the time...and I know that can't be right. It had to be closer to 1 hr 8 min or 1 hr 12 min. Oh well. Got the run in and made it to my next class (barely) on time.

My route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+22nd+St+to:Reynolds+St+to:N+7th+St+to:S+4th+St+to:N+22nd+St+to:41.314853,-105.558186+to:N+30th+St+to:E+Gibbon+St&hl=en&geocode=FfJ4dgIdDwG1-Q%3BFQ2OdgId_Su1-Q%3BFd6UdgIduN-0-Q%3BFemKdgIdrt60-Q%3BFXFhdgIdzcq0-Q%3BFedjdgIdlTa1-Q%3B%3BFRCBdgIdUFG1-Q%3BFX91dgIdcPy0-Q&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=6&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&sll=41.31408,-105.554323&sspn=0.016439,0.038452&ie=UTF8&z=15

Tuesday Feb. 10th First 4 miler

So I had my first 4 mile run of the next step of my training schedule. It was hard to get up. Had a lot to do yesterday and it feels like I can't get caught up with coursework. That being said I did get up around 8. The first mile of the run was harder than usual. I found myself straining to keep up my pace. It was quite a bit colder than I thought it was going to be by just looking outside. It took a little while longer to warm up than usual...but it still happened. I am really trying to not eat any fast food weekdays to see how that helps, if at all. I did well yesterday and am hoping it might help me drop even more weight at a little bit faster rate.

I am not really used to running while there are lots of students walking around and driving in the morning. I didn't really like it. For one....for some reason stop signs are optional and two they tend to not pay attention to their surroundings while they walk. I always move as far as I can even to the grass or street in order to not make people change their stride....but come on...pay a little attention. It is just courtesy. I will stop whining now.

The last .7 miles was pretty hard for me. I just feel really tired. I think it is the accumulation of miles on my body along with my poor sleeping patterns. But for he 4.2 miles I ran my time was 37 min and 30 secs. That gives me a 8 min 55 sec pace...which is slightly better than my daily goal. So yay for today! Thank you for reading and all your support.

My route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+30th+St+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:N+22nd+St+to:Business+I+80%2FE+Grand+Ave%2FUS-30+to:N+11th+St+to:E+Flint+St+to:41.317754,-105.579214&hl=en&geocode=Fe54dgIdVwG1-Q%3BFZN2dgIdglG1-Q%3BFW9qdgId30-1-Q%3BFepadgIdnDW1-Q%3BFT5YdgIdZvW0-Q%3BFYlsdgId_u-0-Q%3BFRJydgIdtve0-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=7&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=41.315304,-105.576725&sspn=0.013828,0.026779&ie=UTF8&z=15

9 mile Saturday

So I had a terrible night of sleep. It took almost 4 hours to fall asleep. I had some caffeine later in the evening and my brain let me know. Kept having marathon thoughts...mainly good....but it still wouldn't let me sleep. I finally forced myself up at 9:00 which kind of made me feel lazy. I was out ready to run around 9:30. The first mile was very difficult again and it kind of makes me think that I am still a little low in the blood. Up until about mile 3 I was wondering if I was going to make it. I finally found my rhythm and things although difficult started to fall into place. I saw a only one person out running...and that was odd. I had some issues with the stopwatch. I had never had an issue with hitting the "split" button on my watch....but I did. So I have no real clue how long the lights were so I am guessing very conservatively on my time....just so I don't seem a little fishy with the timing. So I will say according to the time that I did the run in 1 hr 28 min and 47 secs. Not a great time...but deep down I know I was quite a bit better than that so I will accept it and move on.

I have reached the 1/3 mark in my training. It has been getting harder to get out. I can tell my body doesn't like being forced to keep to a routine quite like this. That being said....I am really glad that I am doing this. I stepped on the scale after my run and I broke 190 lbs. So for me that is another record and it feels good.

My route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+30th+St+to:N+22nd+St+to:S+3rd+St%2FBusiness+I+80%2FUS-287%2FUS-30+to:Reynolds+St+to:41.320752,-105.557714&hl=en&geocode=Fap4dgIdKga1-Q%3BFUFndgIdxVG1-Q%3BFZNXdgIdNzW1-Q%3BFdVgdgIdn8W0-Q%3BFT-SdgIdrvu0-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=5&sz=15&via=1,2,3,4&sll=41.323749,-105.566726&sspn=0.016437,0.038452&ie=UTF8&z=15

Then a little of this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=N+30th+St&daddr=Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:Univertsity+of+Wyoming+to:E+Lewis+St+to:41.317754,-105.579128&hl=en&geocode=Fe-AdgIdUFG1-Q%3BFYBmdgIdXE-1-Q%3BFW9mdgIdSke1-Q%3BFZRqdgIdVvq0-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=15&via=1,2,3&sll=41.315208,-105.567198&sspn=0.016439,0.038452&ie=UTF8&z=15

Take that treadmill

So I did not have time to get out and run Friday morning. I am so behind in my classes and it seems I get farther behind the harder I work. So after my classes and work I went back to the gym to put in my time on the treadmill. The run on Thursday did not do as well as I had hoped so I wanted my time on "the mill" to count. I ended up walking the first 5 minutes then ran at a 10 min mile clip for 5 min. After that I kicked it in gear. I did an 8 min 34 sec mile for two miles and then kicked it up twice and ended my run with a 7 min 30 min mile for 5 mins. I did 3.04 miles in 25 minutes. That is decent time for me. I ended up doing 4 miles overall. I was pretty happy. I knew this morning was going to be rough for my 9 mile long run but last night I did feel good about it.

6 miles in the sun

So I came straight home after class and got dressed and went out. I am proud that I did not waste time and got right out before my body talked me out of it. The weather was warm and I wore shorts for the first time outside since fall. It was a nice feeling. I did wear a couple of layers up top and that was overkill. I just figured with the wind that I might get a little chilly. I was incorrect.

As you have probably guessed I am not used to running mid-afternoon. I was really expecting to see more people out running. I did see a group of 5 girls that may have been a part of some team. But I am not sure. The sun was nice and warm....but there was water and ice still everywhere. I stepped in quite a few puddles along the way, and that is something I did not enjoy.

The run itself was ok. To be honest, I still think I am feeling the effects of the blood donation last week. I am just not used to feeling weak when I run. I did manage to make it the whole way without walking....so I will take that and be happy with it. My time was not great....57 mins and 45 secs, but I got the distance in.

My route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=E+Harney+St&daddr=N+30th+St+to:N+22nd+St+to:Business+I+80%2FE+Grand+Ave%2FUS-30+to:41.326682,-105.591145+to:E+Gibbon+St&hl=en&geocode=Fap4dgIdgAa1-Q%3BFVtmdgIdylG1-Q%3BFRNZdgIdZTW1-Q%3BFRtbdgIdg8a0-Q%3B%3BFXR1dgIdHf20-Q&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4&sll=41.309019,-105.56385&sspn=0.065762,0.153809&ie=UTF8&ll=41.319946,-105.576382&spn=0.016438,0.038452&z=15

Down....but never out.

So I came down with some eye thing that made it so I couldn't wear my contacts for a few days. Something you probably don't care about....but it is important with regards to running. My eye-glass prescription is old and I have very little depth perception when I wear them. I noticed this Tuesday as I attempted to walk to class and almost fell down three times. The week has been horrible with coursework and exams and I did not get out Tuesday for the three miles owed. I drove around Tuesday seeing all this people out running and it really made me feel guilty....go to a confession and repent guilty. They were out there doing it, and I was acting like a weenie. I told myself I was going to get in the distance on my schedule no matter what.

I was finally able to put in my contacts yesterday afternoon and I decided to go up to the campus gym and put in my 3 miles on the dreadmill. The place was packed. I was completely shocked that at 7:10 on a Wednesday the place was full. I was able to get on a machine and got a false sense of confidence : "I run outside all the time...this will be easy. I will do hills and totally own them." So I decided to walk into a jog into my running pace. This went well for the first 15 minutes, then the dinner I so foolishly ate from Taco Johns let me know that I was an idiot. The last 15 minutes were very difficult and I have to make some speed concessions....but I got through it. And it felt great. I had a lot of homework but it all seems a little better after a run.

I am going to go out for 6 miles after class today. The weather is nice and I am stoked. I won't get a rest day before my long run....but it is ok....I am still running....

12 worst miles of my life

So giving blood is a good thing to do. Many people need to have blood transfusions so I should do my part to help. That being said, after yesterday's attempt at 12 miles, I can tell you it was one of the dumbest things I could have done. I was hurting less than a mile into the distance. I had no energy and just pushing seemed to hurt tremendously. After about 3 miles I knew it was going to be a long morning. At about mile 5 I just decided to do whatever I had to do to get the distance in....walk, run, jog, whimper like a baby. I can honestly say I have no known pain that just would not seem to quit. I would walk for a block or two then try to run a little more, my body just could not keep it going. I had to walk up the entire hill halfway through that always pumps me up. Few times I thought I might just collapse. I felt so ashamed of myself whenever I was walking while someone else ran past me. I had to walk in large chunks going down Grand, which is Laramie's main throughfare. By the time I got down it had taken me well over 2 and a half hours.....but I did finish the distance. In the end that is what is important....but it definitely took it's toll on my body and my mind.