Run Post

I've been lagging on keeping track of my progress.

Personal Records.

My longest run to date was a 10-miler last Saturday. It felt fine despite the fact that I was running on 5 hours of sleep and did not have time to drink my morning coffee.

My longest solo run was 5 miles. To be honest, 5 miles doesn't feel very different from 4 miles. My favorite 5-mi path so far is a round trip from home up Ohlone Greenway to Solano Ave. I take the first couple of miles one at a time with 1-min walk/stretch break in between, then run the last 3 miles nonstop. The only two traffic light intersections to worry about are at University Ave. and Marin Ave.

Meditation Hour.

I'm pushing my body to new limits, yes, but I also never thought I'd be able to mentally sustain myself for an hour of solo running. A friend recommended to me that I let my my mind wander during these solo runs. On the contrary, I found that I enjoy focusing my thoughts like on things like...

1. Swing.

Am I propelling my body forward with each arm swing?

2. Breathe.

Am I breathing through my nose or my mouth? What feels better right now? How many strides do I take with each breath? Big breaths or small breaths?

3. Relax

Are my fists clenched? Unclench 'em. Are my shoulders tight and bunched? Drop 'em.

4. All in Good Stride.

Downhill = small steps, first mile = small steps, traffic light turning red! = big steps!, Do I feel it in my calf muscle right now? My hamstrings? Gluts? How's my posture?

5. Keep it Up.

I love my knees; I wanna keep my knees in good condition. Run with an upwards motion, not downwards. Keep it light. Keep my knees up.

6. Pace.

Still creaky, keep it slow. Mid-run, change it up: speed up, slow down. End of run = balls out!

7. Sweat.

...Oh how I love it when I break a sweat. Especially when it's all drippy and nasty. Mmm.

It feels so good to think only of these things. If any other thoughts enter my brain, I zap it out quick with one of these thoughts. These 1-2 hour runs are my present to myself -- the one time in the day that I allow myself to not do or think of the daily pressures. No wonder I look forward to these runs so much.