Post-Run Rewind

Week 5 is officially behind me. Even more exciting, however, is that I can now say, for the first time in my life, that I have ran over 2 miles, without stopping. One more "mile"-stone to go before I'll be running in my first 5k. My pace averages out to 11:00, which I perceive to be excruciatingly slow. But for the moment I am determined to bask in the glow of finishing, and resolve to worry about my time later on.

Here's a play-by-play of yesterday's run for the folks following along at home:

30 minutes pre-run: Mmm.. Big_Shoes made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Maybe not the best energy source for a run, but too gooey and delicious to pass up..

10 minutes pre-run: Instead of getting my running shoes on, I plop down on the couch to snuggle with Big_Shoes. Being the romantic guy he is, he pushes me away and tells me to quit procrastinating and get my ass out the door. Then he adds a quick "Good luck, babe! I know you can do this!" just to soften the blow.

1 minute in: walking down my street, trying to look nonchalant and ignoring the butterflies in my stomach (unclear if said butterflies were the results of nervous energy or lingering remnants from that morning's slight hangover).

3 minutes in: Set alarm on phone to go off in exactly 22 minutes. Not that I was going to just lose track of time and run longer than I planned. Extremely unlikely. No, I set the alarm so that I wouldn't be as tempted to check the time constantly, which always seems to make the minutes tick by slower.

5 minutes in: Walking warm-up over. Took a deep breath and got going before I had a chance to think too much about it.

7 minutes in: Beginnings of a side-stitch. After making a brief mental note of the bad omen just 2 minutes into my run, I concentrate on taking deep regular breaths and keep going.

13 minutes in: At this point, I had been running for 8 minutes - which was previously my longest stretch. I still felt good, but I had the sneaking suspicion that it was all down-hill from there (Unfortunately, this meant down hill in a figurative sense, not a literal one).

15 minutes in: Ten minutes to go, and it feels like a lifetime. At this point I realize that I am not going to make it the full 20 minutes. Instead, I settle on seeing just how long I CAN go. Every minute is a tiny success.

19 minutes in: A can hear the even-paced footsteps and calm breathing of a "real" runner coming up behind me. Not to be outdone, I pick up my feet, lengthen my stride and pretend like I know what I'm doing. "Oh, this little run? It's nothing. I'm just out enjoying the scenery and freezing cold temperatures. Did I mention my lungs are so not burning right now?"

19 minutes and 15 seconds in: Outdone. The real runner whizzes by me in a neon yellow jacket. I quickly revise my plan and create a new goal to make sure I keep Real Runner in my "line of sight" .

22 minutes in: Despite my best efforts, Real Runner soon becomes a tiny yellow speck disappearing over the horizon. Feeling discouraged, but after checking my time I decide there is no way in hell I am stopping with 3 puny minutes to go. I smile because at this point I know I've already done it. I can do three minutes. In fact, I don't even notice those minutes go by.

24 minutes and 49 seconds in: Doubting my resolve, I go for my cell phone to check the time. It can't be that much longer, can it?? Just as I go to look at the screen I hear the happy little jingle of my alarm. Victory bells. My lungs thank me as I slow to a walk and head toward the train station.


And now I'm off to the drug store to find an over-priced, cheesy card for my valentine. Looking forward to buying some ridiculously discounted chocolate tomorrow!