Monday, February 15, 2010

Happy Runner

So I headed out on Saturday morning for my first long run in several weeks. The plan was to run 8 miles. I must admit I was excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because I love long runs there is just something about a nice easy long run that I crave, nervous because I have not run 8 miles in about a month. I decided not to set the alarm to just sleep till I woke up and then head out for my run. I also decided to hit my favorite trail (Mill Creek 16 miles of paved trail), mostly because it would be an out and back so I HAD to do 8 miles no matter how I felt.


The morning started out pretty good, my daughter woke up at 5:30am but I was able to get her back to sleep, so I did not have to actually wake up till around 7am (now that is sleeping in people). I had all my fuel packed up and ready to go so I got dressed ate some toast with peanut butter and then started my drive to the trail. I know with only 8 miles you don’t really need to fuel much, but I was nervous and with only three weeks till the ½ I wanted to make sure I had all my fuel down for the race. I opted to take a GU about 10 min before I got to the park for an extra boost before the run.

When I got to the trail head there were a few cars so I knew I would see some other runners/bikers whom I always love, makes me feel like I am not running alone when there are others on the trail. I did some quick stretches and put on my fuel belt and iPod hit start on the Garmin and off I went.

That first mile was not too bad; mile two I could feel the shins but again not too bad. Mile three was the usual pain but I know that after three it is all over so I get through mile three pretty fast. My fuel plan was to have a GU every 30 min so I ate my Espresso GU at this time, man that caffeine did me good. By mile 4 I was on fire, singing and dancing and very glad there was no one around me at the time. I was feeling great. At 4.5 miles I saw a family of deer, I stopped for just a second to snap a pick with my phone and send it to facebook, then kept going. About 6 miles in I had had another GU and was jumping up and down with every stride. The Black Eyed Peas started to play with the song “I got a feeling” and every time the verse came on about jumping off the couch I literally jumped in the air and sang out loud. So now I am feeling like this run is super easy and just loving life.

I thought about doing 10 miles since I was feeling so good, but opted to just stick with the 8. I don’t want to push it too much and not have my shins heal or have them get worse (see people I am learning my lesson this time) I think a lot of the fun and energy on this run was probably from all the GU I was taking (caffeine and sugar YUMMY), but it was one of the best runs I have had so that is fine with me. This weekend is my 10 mile run and since I have to do it at my mom’s it may be all in the snow, I am actually looking forward to it. And I can’t wait for the Disney Princess ½ marathon to get here, I know I am ready for it…Woo Hoo Florida here I come!

11 comments:

Aimee said...

Yay! Congrats on your run!

It cracked me up when you said you were singing and jumping during your run. Sometimes I'll start singing without even realizing it until I meet another runner and I become aware of it...ha ha..it's pretty funny!

Marny said...

Hooray for a great run! I'm still working on the courage to sing and dance while running down the trail. There are times when I really want to but I'm too self-conscious. LOL. I admire you for doin' what you feel :)

Susan O. Keller said...

Glad to hear your run went great!

Sherri said...

good runs are the best!
Singing even makes them better!

Tracey Kite said...

Aimmee, it is funny when other runners see you doing it and give you that look like is she crazy or what? But it is fun, and I bet they have done it too.

Tracey Kite said...

Marny you should go for it is refreshing and fun, who cares what anyone else thinks!

Tracey Kite said...

Thanks Skeller, I love a great run!

Tracey Kite said...

Sherri, you are right singing makes them so much better.

On The Road... said...

Nice run! Glad you got to sleep... I feel like I get my best runs in after a nice, long rest.

AM! said...

I know this comment doesn't relate to this post, but just wanted to say your risk this week was cool- especially b/c it was in PERSON vs and email. Those types of risks I've found are much harder to take. ;-)

Tracey Kite said...

Thanks Anne Marie, it was hard but I am so glad I did it. And your blog made me realize that I really need to take more risks!