Relativity & Why I Love Nike+

Sunday was my first long run of marathon training. Okay, not really. I was supposed to do eight last weekend and that fell through (because I'm lazy). But this was the first long run I actually did. And it was my first double-digit run since March.

I think I needed to get this one done so I would officially feel like I was training. My mentality definitely shifted today. I feel much more like I'm in marathon training mode.

I was nervous because I hadn't run long in awhile, but things came back to me pretty easily. I had a pop tart and small iced coffee (no sugar, some milk) at 4:45am. I drove to the library and was running by 5:30. As planned, I met Kristin at the bridge, and then realized I hadn't turned on my Nike+. Oops. We continued on our way, and Kristin left at her halfway point (she was aiming for 9 miles), and I went on.

The moon was insane this morning!

I had a Gu at around 4.5 miles. It was overcast and not too warm, thanks to TS Erika. (The temperature when I started was 77, which felt worlds cooler than it has been!) By the halfway point, I was feeling really good. I remembered that the longer I run, the easier it starts to feel. I took a couple walk breaks for water as necessary, but pretty much just chugged along at a slow, even pace.

It's funny - 10 miles would mean you're nearly done with training if you were training for a half. But when you're training for a full, 10 is just the beginning. I guess it's all relative.

That's not sweat, it's liquid awesome!

I only experienced some soreness in my knees; my feet felt really good the entire time, as did my hips. But I definitely need to be better about cross-training and strengthening exercises.

I love that Nike+ lets me add a run manually, so my whole 10 miles was recorded even though it was off during the first 1.25 to the bridge. I also love that I can get cheers on Facebook. They seriously keep me going and give me something to look forward to after the run - I love checking to see who cheered for me!

The benefits of knowing your route by heart: manually entering your distance is really easy.

The comments made me laugh.

I've been using Nike+ ever since I started running; I know it's not the most "serious" of running apps, but I'm totally loyal to it.

I'd call this week a success. Time for a rest, and then onto the next one!

Did you run long this weekend?
What running apps do you use?
Were you awake to see the Supermoon?!

ABK 

Reminders

Today on my early morning run (which should have been ultra early but ended up just being regular early, but we'll get to that), I found myself making some mental notes. You'd think by now I'd know better, but I guess everyone can benefit from a friendly reminder now and then, even seasoned runners.

Actually go to bed when you say you will. This whole I'm going to bed at 9pm but then I play on my iPad for two hours and don't actually fall asleep until after 11 thing is really cramping my style, especially now that school has started.

Don't watch The Walking Dead or Fear TWD the night before a pre-sunrise run. I definitely didn't think this one through.

Oh yeah, I totally want to get up and run in the dark alone after watching this. (PS: Seeing the virus in the early stages and how people react is really interesting. I'm already enjoying FTWD.)

Give your stomach time to wake up. I found out the hard way last summer that the park's bathrooms don't open until sunrise. Today I was ready to run at 4:30, but had to drive out of my way to a 24-hour 7-11 to use the facilities when, surprise!, my stomach suddenly got the memo that I was awake and moving around. I then drove back to my starting point. I didn't actually start running until 5, cutting my 4-miler down to 2.5. Oops.

Pick a route the night before, but be flexible. Last week, I wasted about fifteen minutes in the morning deciding where I wanted to run. Today, I should have just run from 7-11 after my pit stop, but I was set on my predetermined route. Both are rookie mistakes.

Run by time to finish in time. This is actually helpful to remember! I need to be done running by 5:40am at the latest on weekdays, so setting my GPS as a timed run instead of distance is key.

Rely on friends to get you out the door. It's ridiculously hard to motivate myself out of bed at 4:15am, but I've been slowly getting back into the habit by running early a couple times a week. When I can't meet someone face-to-face for a morning run, I rely on the friends in my phone. The constant dinging of my phone as my early-riser friends send me encouragement is incredibly irritating, which is just what I need at that time of day!

I was awake when Kim texted, but I may have gone back to sleep if Montana and Chris hadn't followed up. Thanks ladies!

All in all, this morning's run wasn't perfect by any means, but just getting out there so early - and before a full day of work - is a victory. Habits build slowly, and I just need to keep plugging away until 4:15 doesn't feel so difficult.

All smiles post-run!

And I'm trying not to dwell on the fact that I'm clearly an idiot for beginning marathon training the same week school started. Not only am I exhausted, but my feet are killing me! Oh well...there's nothing to do about it but move forward, and that's what I plan to do.

Do you avoid scary shows/movies before a dark run?
What's the earliest you've ever begun a training run?
Do you have trouble going to bed at a decent hour, even when you have to be up early?

ABK

Duck Mode

How is it possible that every year, I forget how absolutely chaotic the last week of summer is? We've been back in training all week and things have just been crazy! I'm glad this was the first week of training in an unofficial capacity. I wanted a 16 week plan and tagged this week on, making it 17, while allowed me to ease in.

This is a six-day work week. I have open house Saturday, and school officially opens Monday. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted.

This is me, and every other teacher, during teacher training week. (And pretty much all year long.)

I completed my first run of training on Tuesday. I got a new phone Thursday, and the setup and process of wiping, unlocking, and restoring my old phone ended up taking four hours, so I didn't run.

We had a summer assignment to take a photo of ourselves reading in an odd place. I'm enjoying What I Talk About... so far!

But tonight I got in a nice 4-miler with Kristin. We ran up and down a university parking garage, then ran two easy miles out in the rain.

There's something emotionally cleansing about running in the rain. We have our first hurricane of the year looming!

I definitely needed it.

I'm really looking forward to this year, but I kind of dread the first week of school. I'm always afraid I won't learn the kids' names, even though I usually memorize them within the first two days.

A panoramic of my classroom, all ready to go!

Anyway, I'm totally in duck mode right now, and that makes me grateful for running! But I think I'll be even more grateful for sleep!

Do you have any weird work-related fears?
Do you like to run in the rain?

ABK