A Confusing Run

Analyzing this weekend's run left me feeling like I felt after watching Inception: confused. I've thought about how I felt about my run for a day and a half now and I still don't know what to think. The one and only certain thing about Saturday's run is that it was incredibly icy. In fact, it was down right dangerous. I made it through that part, though.

After my three mile run on Tuesday when I didn't stop, I felt like I took a giant step backwards on Saturday. During the first three miles, I stopped four times (including the half way point where I always mentally allow myself to stop since there is usually a water stop there). The first mile and a half was the worst part. There were places where I couldn't even find a patch of concrete through all the ice. I kept thinking back and wondered how Tuesday's run was so easy for me.

At mile four things got better. I started to think that the first few miles were just due to the ice. Mile four didn't have as much ice so that had to have been it. Then I remembered back to the last time I trained for a full marathon. When I was running long miles, I never enjoyed the first three miles of a run. It always seemed to take my body a full three miles to realize it had to run. After three the body would stop fighting and just run. Maybe, just maybe my body was remembering that feeling and I was actually getting in a routine.

Mile five was just like four. I felt like my pace picked up and the running seemed to be getting easier. After all the time I had lost from stopping and from running on the early ice, I thought I had a chance to lower my overall pace which was a good feeling with all the slow running I have been doing. By mile five, I was certain that my body just needed to run more than three miles before I would start feeling good.

Mile six came. I stopped just to be nice to my body...not because I had to this time. Then, I tried to start again and it was like I was running in mud. I could barely move my legs that had been improving the last two miles. Had I known that, I never would have stopped. I noticed the ice was back. Maybe it was just the ice. I trudged through the last mile stopping for a couple quick breaks. That was discouraging.

Upon getting back to the wooden deck, I knew that I would see some improvement in my times at miles four and five once I checked my Garmin. I knew I had gotten faster. Those miles just felt easier. I knew I was going to be able to find a positive amongst the ice, snow, and cold. I checked my watch. Mile one was the fastest. What? The hardest mile with the most ice was the fastest??? How could that be? Maybe I should have been happy, but it made me feel like I didn't know what I was doing out there or why I was out there.

From there, I went to the Bluemile shoe store and (finally) purchased the Yaktrax. Might have been better to do that prior to running in the ice, but at least I finally did it. And, at least I won't have a problem with the ice and snow again if the Yaktrax work as well as I've been told they do.

Feeling a little better thanks to my new purchase, I headed over to Einstein's Bagels where a few of the other runners were gathering. Good conversation, relaxing, and a really great sandwich (oh, how I love, love, love Einstein's Bagels!) made me feel good about running again. As much as I want to get better at running, sometimes I forget what all I've gained from it. Great friends are great conversation are sometimes more important than the time on the clock at the end of an icy run.