Happy Monday! I hope everybody had a wonderful, warm Easter Sunday. Right now, I'm missing living abroad in Australia and having Friday and Monday off for Good Friday and Easter Monday (although I feel like it doesn't make a difference when you're working in a hospital since the doors never close there). It has been perfect spring weather for the past few days in Chicago: sunny, breezy, and not cold. I'll take it.
I completed my longer run of the week on Saturday. Like last week, I did six miles. When I turned around at Castaways on North Avenue Beach, though, there was no wall of wind fighting me.
I completed my longer run of the week on Saturday. Like last week, I did six miles. When I turned around at Castaways on North Avenue Beach, though, there was no wall of wind fighting me.
Except for some big sand patches on the running path on North Avenue Beach (when the lake washes up on dry land during storms), the run went almost perfectly.
In fact, I learned something about myself on Saturday. I learned that I can run faster than I thought I ever could. I downloaded the Run Keeper App before I left the house so that I could get a better idea of my average running pace. My goal was to try to maintain a 10-minute mile since this is how fast I guessed I could run, and it's my consistent treadmill pace. The app announces your time and average pace every five minutes, and I was shocked to hear my pace decreasing every time. When I found out that I was into the 9-minute-mile range, I almost cheered out loud.
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Miles 2-6 (my first mile was slower since I walked for a few blocks to warm up) were under a 9.5-minute mile. I wrote last week that I would never be able to run under that pace, and I find myself eating my words now. Big time. And who knows if I can regularly maintain this pace? The weather was cooler, the wind wasn't fighting me, I ate pasta the night before, and the Run Keeper app was motivating me to go faster and harder. Everything seemed to be in my favor on Saturday. Time will tell how I can perform on other days.
A few years ago, I could barely run three miles. That was the crazy summer when I moved back to Chicago and started taking my prerequisites to get into a dietetics program. My sartorius muscle was giving me grief, and I was stressed out beyond belief. I had a Garmin running watch that estimated my running pace, and I was usually running a 12 to 12.5-minute mile and feeling like I was hyperventilating. I think that my short treadmill runs and very gradually increasing my mileage over time have helped to get my pace down.
To finish the expression in my title, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Thank you for those brilliant words, William Edward Hickson. This proverb can be applied to so many things in life, and this really hit home this week. For those are you who are discouraged with your running, keep in mind that you will get better if you try. Just keep going, one foot in front of the other.
I was going to add another section to this post about my favorite running gear, but I think I'll end it here. Stay tuned for more posts on running and delicious recipes!
Total miles logged this week (and last week since I forgot to post that): 9 (3 on treadmill; 6 outside).
Aches and pains: lower back and right knee.
Goal for next week: do yoga exercises for lower back and sign up to run for a charity!
A few years ago, I could barely run three miles. That was the crazy summer when I moved back to Chicago and started taking my prerequisites to get into a dietetics program. My sartorius muscle was giving me grief, and I was stressed out beyond belief. I had a Garmin running watch that estimated my running pace, and I was usually running a 12 to 12.5-minute mile and feeling like I was hyperventilating. I think that my short treadmill runs and very gradually increasing my mileage over time have helped to get my pace down.
To finish the expression in my title, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Thank you for those brilliant words, William Edward Hickson. This proverb can be applied to so many things in life, and this really hit home this week. For those are you who are discouraged with your running, keep in mind that you will get better if you try. Just keep going, one foot in front of the other.
I was going to add another section to this post about my favorite running gear, but I think I'll end it here. Stay tuned for more posts on running and delicious recipes!
Total miles logged this week (and last week since I forgot to post that): 9 (3 on treadmill; 6 outside).
Aches and pains: lower back and right knee.
Goal for next week: do yoga exercises for lower back and sign up to run for a charity!
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