Me and Running called a truce

Thursday I went out for my longest run ever, on probably the most consistently hilly terrain ever, at Stone Mountain. I was skeptical yet determined that I could do the entire 15. Thankfully determination won, and there were no mileage surprises because I was running with someone with a GPS watch. While there were times I wanted to walk or just quit all together, those feelings were never stronger than my desire to finish (possibly a first). It also helped I didn’t want to make my run partner run around that rock in the dark alone. After 3 laps around the rock, and two laps around the parking lot to hit exactly 15 miles, pain and a huge sense of accomplishment congratulated me. Then it was time for an Epson Salt soak and a huge plate of pasta (not at the same time). BTW how does Epson Salt work?

This run was also my introduction to running in cooler weather. I originally didn’t think me and cool weather would get along. I figured it would cause asthma complications, or simply be harder than normal for me to get out in, but so far it has felt great. My HR was way down during the run, that probably has a little to do with the pace I was running, but that was encouraging. Right now I’m really encouraged about running through the winter. My relationship with running is budding.

Saturday I went for a run in Auburn just to see how my legs would respond to Thursday. Surprisingly, I felt really good, though I was still a little nervous to push the pace. I think I’m going to aim for 3 runs a week now. I can feel my legs are getting stronger and the recovery periods between the runs are getting shorter. Running three times a week will give me a chance to focus on Hills, Tempo, and Distance. I never would have thought that I could enjoy running as much as I’m starting to. I hope it last. Running could possibly be my new best friend – that’s probably a little premature.