So, I’ve decided the solution to my nervousness about tomorrow’s 12 mile run is to stop putting so much pressure on myself, and try the walk-break strategy. I haven’t decided whether I’ll do a 9 min run/1 min walk or 11 min run/1 min walk, etc., but the important thing is that I’ve convinced myself that it’s OK not to run the whole 12 miles without stopping tomorrow.

I’ve been reading up on the walk-break approach, and it’s pretty interesting. Someone won the Boston Marathon once by using the walk-break strategy. Jeff Galloway, a US Olympian who’s run 116 marathons, uses the walk break strategy in his marathon training program. Below is a really informative article about it.

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So, we’re scheduled to run 12 miles this Saturday. I’ve never run 12 miles before in my life. Needless to say, I’m pretty nervous. I’ve been worrying about it all week.

Maybe I haven’t fully recovered mentally from my run last week? Or maybe because of the abbreviated runs this week? Or because I haven’t felt very energetic or strong?

Anyways, I’ve decided to try incorporating walk breaks into the run on Saturday. I think it’ll make me less anxious about it, and it won’t be such a strain on my legs….especially since I’ll be running a relay race later in the PM.

Distance: n/a
Time: 36:22:6
Avg Heart Rate: 166
Max Heart Rate: 176
Location: Treadmill
Pace: 5.2 - 5.6 (tempo run)

- I felt tired and hungry for most of the day. By the time I got home from work I had developed one of those headaches that come from not eating well. I was tempted to skip tonight’s workout, but decided I need all the preparation I can get for Saturday’s 12 mile run.

- I started to feel better about 10 minutes into the run, but I was definitely eyeing the timer after 20 minutes.

- I need to revive my diet….I think I’ve been having too many SunChips and not enough protein.

Distance: n/a
Time: 20 min
Avg Heart Rate: 170
Max Heart Rate: 184
Location: Treadmill
Pace: 5.5 - 6.2

- This has been a week of abbreviated runs. Instead of 35 mins, I only got 20 mins in. This was a morning run before heading off to work, and I was already running late. As usual. *sigh*

- The run felt great.

Distance: n/a
Time: 16:19:0
Avg Heart Rate: 171
Max Heart Rate: 187
Location: Swanky treadmill at the City Club
Pace: 5.4 - 6.2

- I had only 20 minutes to get a run in before playing tennis with a friend at The City Club, so I did a fast, hard (for me, at least) run on the treadmill.

- The treadmill at the City Club was the most amazing I’ve ever seen. First of all, all the treadmills faced windows looking out onto Greenway Plaza. Nice. Secondly, the consoles on these treadmills were seriously high-tech - and they were huge. Think airline cockpit huge. And the digital touchscreens were like no other - it’s hard to explain. There were places you could plug in headphones to listen to pre-recorded workout tracks, or tune in to any one of the four televsions hanging in front. And the BEST part was - the treadmills had FANS BUILT INTO THEM. On both ends of the console, there were these little fans that would turn on intermittedly. Seriously swanky, yo.

- This was a great run…..the time flew by, and my legs felt strong even though I was trying to push myself. Maybe it was the swanky treadmill.

- Even though I only got a 16 min run in, I got an hour of good tennis practice - which involved lots of running up and down the court.

Confessions of an Adult-Onset Athlete
One woman’s journey from college couch potato to competitive marathon runner.

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Wow - after sharing my experiences/frustration from that miserable 10-mile run, I’m so appreciative of all the words of encouragement and support from my fellow Houston Striders.

This is one of the reasons I love running so much…..it has a perfect mix of independence (i.e., running can be a solitary experience) and groupness (is that a word?). I can run with others as a group, but each run/race has an element of personal challenge and achievement to it that I also really value.

Of course, running can also be an excellent team sport. On September 17th, the “Blog This, Striders!” team (comprised of Jon, Holden, Jessica and myself) will run the HARRA Cross Country Relay. We will, of course, kick butt.