More random things running has taught me

Yesterday I did one freaking hard workout.  It was a threshold workout that consisted of three 2-mile repeats at at 8:43 pace, with a roughly 3-mile warm-up and a 1.5 mile cool down--roughly 10.5 total miles. 

While that workout is hard enough in and of itself, I made it harder by doing it outside on all the hilly hills around my house instead of on the treadmill.  This decision was made because temps were again in the mid-60s, and you just can't waste a summer morning like that by staying inside and staring at a blue wall whilst slogging away on the treadmill.

But as I was getting ready to go do the run, I didn't think I could do it.

The distance and the hills (not so much the pace--8:43 I can totally handle) and the amount of 2 mile repeats were all getting in my head and forming a big ball of doubt.  But I forced myself outside and you know what happened?  I totally crushed that workout.

I've been running for a little over 9 years now, and you'd think I wouldn't doubt myself before a run anymore--but nope.  But I also love proving to myself that I can do the things I think I can't do, which is the one thing that motivates me to get out and do a run that I am fearful of doing.  It's one of those things I've learned in my 9-ish years of running--that I can do more than I think I can.  It's also taught me some other things along the way as well, which shall now be enumerated in a bulleted list for your viewing pleasure:

• I'm not invincible.  Sometimes I get injured because I'm playing fast and loose with recovery days or run too many races without enough rest.  When injuries start to crop up, preventative maintenance is needed - such as ice baths accompanied by cats with WHOA faces.

• Getting enough rest is essential.  Sleep is essential for getting the most out of your runs and for recovering/getting stronger.  It is also essential for staying awake at work the entire time and not wanting a nap at 2 PM because you got up at 3 AM to get that run done.  
• You'll always feel better if you just shut-up and get that run done.  At least, that's what the master of naps says in our house.

Hyooman.  Go running so you GO AWAY

• Consistency is key.  I've said this in previous posts, and I'll say it again - if you want to be better at running, you have to run consistently and with the intent to get better.  That's true for running ot anything in life, really.
• It's a hill.  Get over it.  Yesterday's run was full of annoying little rolling hills.  But because I was running for a certain pace, I told myself to power through them (up them, really), get over the hill (literally and mentally) and get to the downhill part as fast as possible.  It wasn't always easy and I wanted to stop and cry several times (especially when I had to run 0.25 uphill *sob*), but I kept going because I knew my post-workout would be beating myself up mentally for stopping.  Plus, I'm training for Twin Cities, which is known for its hill back half--what better training could there be for it but an elevation profile that looks like this?

holy hills

• Running is always better with a buddy.  Even if that buddy is constantly trying to pull you sideways into a ditch while you're trying to run in a forward direction and slobbers on himself during the entire run.

So much slobber.

• Skinnier doesn't mean stronger.  I used to be 20 pounds lighter than I am now, as shown in the pic below after my 4th 5K ever about 9 years ago.  However, that girl couldn't run a marathon, grit her teeth through an ice bath, or even think about running all the crazy hills I do now.

And she definitely wouldn't have thought about running over 10-ish in just a sports bra and shorts before going to work on a Tuesday morning, like the girl below does on the regular.

Tomorrow's workout:  I still have one more thing to learn - how to get tomorrow's 17-mile long run in before the heat gets all crazy while still attending a 5K with my dog at 8 AM at a location 35 minutes away.  So, if anyone has any helpful suggestions about how to solve the word problem I just gave in the previous sentence, I would welcome them (other than "skip the run you psychopath").  Myself, I forsee a 4 AM start time in my future....so if you're in my area Saturday morning and you see a bobbing white light following by a green blinky one on a lone country road, it's just crazy little me running in the dark.  Nothing to see there.