I may or may not try to get all the way back across Tennessee (BAT).
Monday, 73 minutes, 8.13 miles (2.31 miles walking)
Mom had an early-ish appointment so I offered to spend the night at their house and run in their subdivision. I loved getting started early and heading out at a reasonable pace throughout the rolling hills of their subdivision. We talked a lot, as is the norm, although Mom matched me for amount of talking this time. We did not push the pace and never felt like the hills took any more than normal out of us. The pace ended up much slower than what I expected but we got it done and had a great time doing it.
Tuesday, 73 minutes, 7.94 miles (3.00 miles walking)
I got rained on in the last mile of my walk and my run. Fun stuff. I felt a lot better on this run than I expected. I thought my legs might be a lot more tired but I felt pretty good, apart from my gut that decided the simple salad I had for lunch was too much fiber.
Wednesday, 25 minutes + long cooldown walk, 4.56 miles (1.51 miles walking)
I gave myself a little leeway in the morning when I woke up and did not feel like getting out right away. I read for about an hour instead and then headed out for a short run. My legs felt tired but strong, tired because Tuesday’s run came just a little over twelve hours earlier but strong because of the bulk of work I have put in this summer. I ended up walking to Starbucks the long way to get some coffee without stopping to change and shower at home so that walk got blended in with my cool down.
Thursday, 73 minutes, 8.27 miles (3.50 miles walking)
My legs felt really tired throughout this run. I did not expect that. Instead of giving in to the negative thoughts I settled in, carrying on a conversation with Mom. I wondered if I would slow down even more during my solo mile after Mom finished but as I said in my Instagram post some sort of stubborn speed gremlin got ahold of my legs and started pushing me forward. About halfway through a thought flashed into my mind. That thought told me that I could do this. I was doing it. I leaned into that thought and pushed forward. It wasn’t easy but I felt so fantastic when I finished.
Friday, 73 minutes, 8.08 miles (3.21 miles walking)
I felt really tired today. My pace reflects that. I did not feel discouraged though. I felt grateful that I could get out there and run even though I sweat through my clothes early on and walked a few of the hills on the way back. I wore my “It’s a Hill. Get Over It” shirt and reminded myself of that on those hills. I also felt grateful that I could get in the run and mentally shove it in the face of the person who thinks it’s funny to characterize women for their figure or just wanting a man because of their running.
Saturday, long run, 13.01 miles (3.53 miles walking)
This was a hard run quite similar to how Friday’s run felt. The first few miles felt okay but Mom ended up not continuing with me at mile 4. She had an incredibly crazy headache that just kept getting worse. Turns out, she had a way too tight headband. I kept on going, plugging away while the temperatures kept rising as well. At my turn around point I stopped and texted Mom to check in on her. I learned then the cause of her headache. I told her that if she wanted she could start running and meet me so she could get some more miles in. I knew she would feel better to end on a good note. At some point on the way back I saw the temps on a sign, 86, and knew that the heat and humidity was draining me. I slogged significantly through the final miles and battled some negative thoughts but made it through. Eventually I hope to get some pep back in my step.
Sunday, 25 minutes, 3.47 miles (3.09 miles walking)
I felt a lot better on this run than I expected. I concentrated on steady effort, ready to walk if I needed to but I didn’t. I finished and felt encouraged that I could have a strong and steady effort after Saturday’s draining run.