well, i have survived the first 5 days of my 26 day challenge. holy smokes, am i starting to get sore already. but, it has totally been worth it to start getting more consistent with my running. and while i’m not going out and running 5 miles everyday – i really think these quick runs are going to help me in the long run with building up some muscle memory for various paces. but at the end of the day, it really is all about being active and staying healthy for me. even if i never PR again, i am still going out there and having a blast. heck, i’m already having a blast just during training?! which trust me is a complete turn around because training was always extremely tough for me. but, when you have a plan in place – i’ve found it to be a lot easier to keep yourself accountable.
so a quick 5 day breakdown. as mentioned, i haven’t been running a lot of long distances but more short, quicker distances. and by doing this, it is allowing me to have the ability to run everyday – without my knee yelling at me to stop. like my coach says, “it’s quality over quantity for me.” i couldn’t agree with him more. and honestly, this quote really puts everything into perspective for me. we are not all alike – we all have different paces, we all have different body aches and pains. but yet, as runners, we all still go out and run. it doesn’t matter if you aren’t like the person next to you – you run your own race, with your own motivation. and all at the same time, you know that every single person there is cheering for you…it may not be out loud, but the community has a way of showing the most incredible support. i feel it everyday when i run. and so we get into the daily breakdown:
- day 1: 1.25 miles / 10:29 pace
- day 2: 1.75 miles / 9:23 pace
- day 3: 1.01 miles / 8:31 pace
- day 4: 2.03 miles / 10:20 pace
- day 5: 1.00 mile / 9:42 pace
now day 4 was my #tracktuesday workout – and this was unlike anything i have done before. typically when i train myself, i haven’t really accounted for “break times.” but yesterday, we were assigned the following workout: 600m with a 200m break x 2. basically, this added up to a mile set in total – in which i completed 2 mile sets. now, we had the option to light jog or walk our breaks, which i decided on walking to ensure my pace was consistent throughout the workout. again, it’s that quality over quantity mentality. i was extremely excited to see that even with walking accounted in my time – i still averaged the 10:20 pace. we are making progress!
ultimately, i’ve found running to be even more mentality challenging than physically. yes my body is sore and aches, but it’s all the mental game to ensure that you are actually getting out there. trust me, it was really tough getting out of bed this morning – but i did it and feel great.
less than a month to the battle of the bands 5k, which will be my day 21?! whoa, that seems really far away – however i know it will be here before we know it.
stay tuned for more updates and until next time
xoxo
kpmoments 