Pat's run and beyond

I ran in a 4.2 mile race last Saturday. Longest race so far, and I felt a bit nervous about it. I can consistently complete 3 miles, but would that extra 1.2 kill me?

Nah.. the distance was fine. It was the HILL in the middle of the race that nearly did me in!! I train on flat ground - Scottsdale is not known for being of hilly terrain, however, Tempe is, and Tempe was where we ran. So, that meant I had to walk mile 2. Because nearly ALL of mile 2 was uphill. And not a slight grade either, but UPhill. I assumed I would have to walk, so thought a 13min mile was a decent expectation, meaning I would finish in about 54 minutes. My chip time was 53:14, so I made my goal.

Then I ran the next day. Felt ok. Could barely walk on Monday, but hey..

Then I took 2 days off. And I think I caught a bit of a flu because I felt more or less like holy hell for much of the week.

Ran Wednesday. Realized about 1/2 the way through my run that running at all was a mistake. Was reminded all day that yes, running was a mistake. Bed before 9pm that night, slept through till after 6am the next day.

So, today was the first day I felt I had my Mojo back, and I ran a 5K. Felt good.. thought my time was better, but I will take what I get. And what I got was about 36 minutes to myself without someone asking me for something, screaming at someone else, or needing my input on anything. So, 5K in 36:20. Yeah.. certainly won't be breaking any land-speed records with that time, but what the heck, I am getting out there!