I was very excited when I completed my long run for this week which puts me right back where I was before I got hit with the big viral and bacterial infections in mid June! Back then I was running at paces that would absolutely wear me out when I was done, so I did run the 40 minutes quite a bit faster (roughly 8:24/mile) than I did yesterday. But the difference this time around, the after effects of the run have barely bothered me. :)
If I keep going at this rate of being able to increase by 10% each week, in four weeks I will have a new long run (by time, and maybe distance) PR. The longest I have ever run was for the Farmington Festival Days 10k back on July 10, 2010. It was during that race that I messed up my right knee and did not start running again until late April of this year. I'm quite sure the reason for the injury was that I had never run that far at one time. In fact, I had only been running for maybe a month leading up to that race. I had finished the P90X program just before picking up the running bug and thought I was in great enough shape to handle it. Unfortunately, P90X does not train your body to handle the rigors of running.
That injury taught me many lessons with respect to my running. First, our bodies are so fragile, and just the fact that I am able to be out running every day is a great blessing in my life. There are many people who do not even have the ability to run even though they desire to do so.
Second, running is a lifestyle change. This means it's something that has to be developed and improved on over time. There is no quick and dirty way, no shortcut to becoming a better runner. You simply have to listen to your body, take progress one small step at a time, and be prepared to be in it for the long term.
Finally, third, I learned how much I really do love to run. In that short month of running leading up to my injury, I was so focused on the competitive aspect of it that I quickly lost sight of just how much I love to run. And it wasn't until after I injured myself, waited 3 weeks to recover, and then tried to go out to run and be devastated when the pain came right back after a mile that I realized how much I loved and missed running.
That run took place in a small town in Riverton, Wyoming where I was doing field work with my job. I remember waking up early and stoked to get out and start running again. I was doing so great, keeping a decent form for one who hadn't been out for a few months. Then, the pain hit, right where it had been before. I stopped, walked for a bit, then tried to jog. The pain got worse. I remember exactly how I felt, and all I wanted to do was sit down and cry. Knowing that I couldn't run made me feel like a part of me died. I guess I became so depressed in that aspect of my life that I didn't even think to try and take up running again (for the fear of disappointment with re-injury) until winter was over. That, and I'm a total wimp and can't stand being out in the cold. ;)
A little dramatic? I guess so. But it's the truth. I LOVE to run! While attempting the triathlon training, it was fun to bike and swim. But I always LOVED to run even more. That's why I definitely knew I would keep focusing on running when it became obvious that I didn't have the time to train for triathlons. I know a lot of people in this world just can't understand how one can love to run so much, why we would do something that seems to just inflict pain on yourself. I can't fully explain it, but all I know is that I look forward to every time I get to go out and hit the road and run. It's always an exhilarating, liberating, joyful experience for me. And to see myself make a slow and steady progress over the course of this year with the set backs I have had makes me love it even more!
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