1-1/2 Mile: Consider Yourself Defeated!

So today I did a mile and half without stopping...

Well except for having to stop for cars at the intersection because let's face it... that's a battle I would lose.

Today I told my roommate I would run with her since my iPod decided to crap out on me a couple of days ago (curse you technology!). She runs at a slightly slower (and quite frankly, a more realistic) speed than I do, because I'm used to running for time - it was all I was ever taught in athletics. I can always hear a coach in the back of my head: "Push harder! Go faster! Pass someone!"

So today, instead of dwelling on the fact that I didn't have anything to distract me from my running pains, I decided to test a theory: What if running at a slower pace will allow me to finish the entire distance without feeling like my lungs are in a battle with my heart, stomach, and shins?

What a concept.

I noticed it first when we ran our first color run 5K together about a year ago; when I ran at her pace, I felt as if I could run forever, I was the queen of all running, all other runners pale in comparison! Of course she was newer at running and therefore tired much quicker than I did, so our walking breaks were more frequent than if I had just been running myself. Because of this I did not feel the hurt of the run hardly at all during that race.

That was probably the only time I have ever "liked" running. I attributed it to the "race-day-adrenaline-rush" and the fact that we were playing with colors and wrote it off as a fluke.

But during this last color run that I ran recently, I noticed it again. I didn't run the whole thing, but I definitely did a much greater portion than I ever have in a 5K. I felt the hurt after the race (and a little during!) but I wasn't dying and hating myself like I feel sometimes during my training.

All this to say... since I ran at my roommate's pace today, it was much easier to accomplish. There actually wasn't a time I felt I wasn't going to make it through to the end - which is a huge accomplishment! This is coming from a girl who never ran more than one mile consecutively in her whole life... so I feel pretty awesome about it!

Not quite 26.2 yet... but it's a start.

I even got a nice little, "You're so ambitious! I'm just walking!" from an older lady out on her afternoon walk, to which I managed something like an exasperated, "Haa-haa-yeaaa."

Always nice to get a shout-out on a run.

Overall, it was a great workout, especially considering the fact I didn't have my audiobook or music to keep me company (first world problems).

I topped it off with a nice stretch and a whole bottle of water, and began to make this tasty dish... for the second time in two weeks. It's the easiest thing in the world to make and it's sooo yummy! Luckily I had some of that rice left over from yesterday to eat with it, nice and simple.

Which brings about my tip of the day: Always make at least twice as much rice as you plan on eating. It's such a time saver, really. It amazes me that something so simple takes so long to cook, so this is my little short cut :)