Run A Way!: Frustration

Monday, February 2, 2009

Frustration

Ran 14 yesterday. It was supposed to be 16. I had a pace goal. Was supposed to run them with two friends. Had runners with me the first half - then was alone the second half. Except for when I reached the turnaround and a biker turned around about fifty yards in front of me (he had been following me). He kept that space between us but never increased his speed. The path had many curves in it at that point and he disappeared in one of the bends. It gave me a weird feeling. Weird enough so I wished I had pepper spray, or a big dog, or even my cell phone. I ended up cutting my run short by two miles. Ran too slow too. I am disappointed in both my pace and my distance. I need a better plan. I'm feeling frustrated.

1 comment:

Backofpack said...: Well, you did the totally smart thing by cutting it short because of the strange biker. That weird feeling exists for a reason! I'm not the person to give pace or speed advice, but I do have one other thing to say (I bet you are surprised by that!). Everybody has bad training days - days where the run didn't go as planned. Shake it off and try again!; February 2, 2009 at 8:12 AM

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Why I'm a Runner

I started running in 1996 after getting an injury from step aerobics. I developed an inflammation between the ribs which would seemingly heal after a week of rest and then become re-inflamed as soon as I resumed my workouts. I decided to try running since it was mainly lower-body. I couldn't run to the end of my street without stopping to walk. This was something I was going to have to work at. I did work at it. At that time my running partner was my dog Rio. She was incredible - always anxious to go and she kept an absolutely steady pace. My first goal was to run for an hour without stop and Rio and I achieved that goal after several months of trying. I ran several times a week for years and then decided I wanted to race. I kept hoping someone would ask me to join then in this endeavor but that was not to be. I finally took the plunge and signed up for the Seattle Torchlight 8K in 2005. I met one of my son's cross country friends at the sign-in and his father ran the entire race with me (blowing away his chances at a PR by doing so). What a nice guy. I still see the two of them at races throughout the year. I also started running with a neighborhood friend in 2005 and she and I have run races together and encouraged each other to run on those days when we just don't feel like running. In November of 2006 I joined the Y Run Club to help me train for a marathon. Because of them (yes, I do blame them!) I didn't stop at one marathon. I have run many marathons and even a few ultras with plans for more. I am also proud to be Marathon Maniac #606. Most importantly however, I now consider myself to be a "runner"!

A Few of the Races I've Run