Sunday, April 12, 2009

A post about an actual run!!

So I told myself I was not allowed to post here again until I actually went for a run. No more talking about when it was going to happen or what race I was going to sign up for or any of that.

This week I posted on the ole Facebook that I was considering training for a 1/2 marathon in 8 short weeks and was I crazy or what? The synthesis of the answer is that due to certain decisions made in, for example, San Diego, it had already been proven that I'm a nutter and I should go for it but be careful.

To that end I found a very mild 1/2 marathon schedule on line that goes something like this:

So I knew I had to try to get a least a 4ish miler in this week to see how I could fare.

The weather in NYC was not cooperating for me for most of the days I could run, and you know how I feel about treadmills so finally today I made it out to the park. For a real. Run.

It has been about a year since I set foot to pavement and I would be a liar if I said I wasn't petrified over how it was going to go. It was sunny but a chilly 40 degrees and the wind was harsh. I wasn't even completely sure I was properly layered...but I pushed the easy excuses out of my head for the moment and stepped outside.

Getting to the park from my house is uphill so I got to feel a little bit winded to kick off my run, which was not the most fun. But once I got to the park...and settled into what I thought was a prudent pace...the muscle memory kicked in (I was sure it would be gone by now) and I was running along pleasantly. I opted to cut through the middle of the park rather then do the full loop, attempting to be prudent for my first go. As I took center drive, I encountered a one-leggged-man walking with what I assumed to be his wife, enjoying the morning. I smiled at them and felt like I had gotten yet another reminder from the universe about how you shouldn't take your healthy body for granted.

After cutting through the middle the fun was over because there started the dreaded hill. I scrunched my face and debated walking up the first 1/2 but then decided I could walk at the top if (likely) I felt like I was going to pass out. A woman ran up and said, "shall we push each other up? It's always easier when you have someone else!" I agreed whole-heartedly because philosophically speaking, I agree with that sentiment. However, it was not so prudent because she was definitely running faster then me and I ended up charging up 3/4 of the hill only to run out of steam for the last bit. I didn't stop running but did wave her along and slow down, and took a "2-lamppost" breather when I got to the top.

After the hill, the rest was a cakewalk. I think I probably could have run a bit farther especially if I hadn't screwed up my pacing with the hill, but I think for the first go it was not that bad. In fact, maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Happy Easter everyone!

Miles:
3.5
Time: blissfully oblivious

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