I am running 7 miles tomorrow. It will be the farthest I've ever run in one stretch in my entire life. Sounds crazy, but it's true. I was never much of a long distance runner.
Some things I've been thinking about since embarking on this journey. I
registered for the race on February 28th, just a little over two months ago. Since then I've worked my way up to six miles from zero, running on average about 2-3 times a week. There are weeks I wanted to run more, but the weather wasn't cooperating or social stuff got in the way. My pace is still pretty slow, about a 10 minute mile, but I've mainly been focusing on building up the mileage. I figure I'll try to go a little faster once I reach the 10 mile run. My goal is to run three times a week going forward.
One area I've yet to focus on much is the cross/strength training aspect of the training guide I've been using. I should be building upper body strength and varying my exercises; must get to the pool and lift some weights ASAP. I have tried to incorporate more stretching however since I was having a lot of calf pain earlier on in the program.
That said, I'm feeling pretty good. If I can get up to 10 miles by the end of the month I think I'll feel adequately prepared for the race on June 25th.
I've been running with my Nike + iPod contraption and it records the runs.
From a fashion standpoint, good socks that keep your feet dry and underwear that don't ride up are essential. You want to be as comfortable as possible when running. The littlest things can distract you when you're using "mind over matter" out there, so I am constantly thinking of things that will make it easier to focus on the task at hand and not on holding gadgets, pulling shorts down, ect.
This
cute recap of a half marathon is all the more inspiring.
Happy running!
