Yesterday I decided that I should probably go and get me some new running shoes. My knees started hurting a little bit over the last couple of weeks so I thought maybe it was because my shoes were wearing out. While I was at Strider's I decided to get some running clothes to wear in the cold. The long pants and shirts are supposed to be breathable but still keep my heat in somehow.
Today when I woke up and everything was covered in snow I wasn't exactly excited to go out and run in the icey cold but I was curious to see how the clothes would work out. It took me longer to get dressed than usual. The black pants and shirt that I put on were tight to my body and I felt like cat woman after I sucked myself into them... only my body doesn't look anything close to Halle Berry and the sports bra makes it so my chest doesn't look anything like the pointy chested women from the 60's that played the part so well. By the time I got the running shoes, hat and jacket on I felt a lot better about running outside where people could actually see me.
I ran down my street and just like before I could feel my cheeks and nose begin to freeze. I was wondering how people do this! My nose might fall off or get frost bitten with the way I'm feeling right now. Remind me again why I don't live in Hawaii? Cold and I do not agree! After about my first mile I suddenly realized that nothing on my face was cold anymore. I guess when I started to warm up my face did too! Cool!
I took a different route than normal and today was the first day I was running 6 miles. SIX miles sounded like SO MANY MILES today. I was really nervous about it and wasn't sure I could do it. The farthest I've gone so far is 5 and I didn't feel ready to add another mile on but according to the running program I add another mile every week on my long run and supposedly people are able to do this without a problem.
My new route took me past a lot more farms and fields than normal. I discovered that... although I think my scenery is beautiful I get discouraged easily when it's wide spaces like that. You see... when I'm running past houses I can visually tell that I'm going somewhere, I constantly feel how fast (or slow) I'm going and I can SEE the progress I'm making. When I'm running past fields and farms all I can see is how long the road is and there's nothing besides... wheat and hay. There's nothing to visually mark my milestones, nothing to let me know how well I'm doing. The good thing about my route today was that there were a lot more hills that I had to climb, which... although I hated them at the time, it's really great to know that I'm getting a better, more... well-rounded type of run.
About half way I actually started to get hot which meant that the clothes were working. I slipped off the jacket and tied it around my waste to get it out of the way... and also to hide my behind in these skin tight pants.
I came up on the last quarter mile and started to sprint. I don't know why but I started to do that the last couple couple of times. I just start running as fast as I can. The first time I did it I think it was because I still felt like I had so much energy but then... I realized that it was something I wasn't able to do just a little while ago and I think that made it more fun. Now it's just... see how fast I can go on that last little part. The cool part is that I don't get really tired or very easily out of breathe while I do it. If you read my very first blog entry, I talk about how my lungs were burning and I could barely make it to the end of the street and I wasn't even running that fast and I felt like I was gonna die. I sprint as fast as I can through that exact same part that I had trouble with on my first run. I know it doesn't make sense but I do it because I CAN run it now and I can run it FAST. If anything... that right there shows how much stronger and healthier my body is. That's why I'm going to keep doing this and why I think that even though SIX miles sounds like a lot right now... when I look back at where I've been... and what I've accomplished... if I've done this much in 4 months than I have no doubt that I can run 26.2 by May.
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