Missed Workout On A Technicality

Well, today, I had the best intentions of running and having a great workout. Even went to the gym. I was talking with Nanci (my marathon partner in crime) on the phone as I entered the gym. We were exchanging stories of our experiences running with actual bona fide runners and how humiliating it is. How proud we are of ourselves and our progress, until we join someone who is running with us to cheer us on, but looks like they are close to injuring themselves to keep such a slow pace.

I signed up for a treadmill and went into the locker room. When I opened my gym bag, I realized I had only ONE sock! Now, I know what you're thinking - SUCK IT UP and just run anyway. Nanci even recommended I just run anyway (as if she would have done so herself - yeah, right!) Dearest readers, I am not that tough. I am not tough at all, in fact. I would no sooner run with no sock as I would run with the black dress socks I'm wearing as I write this. Sure - you may judge me, but let's not forget that I'm only pretending here. Pretending to be a runner. I'm nowhere near the status of actual TRUE runner, and therefore will skip a run with so much as a missing sock as an excuse. Besides - I already look goofy enough trying to find my running stride - just imagine if I threw black socks into the equation. I would probably be kicked out of the gym for causing a disturbance and risking injury to others as they loose focus on their respective cardio equipment of choice and fall off.

So - Today's run didn't happen, but yesterday's was great! I had a great run. 30 minutes. I went more than three miles. Ran for 10, walked for 2, ran for 8, walked for 2, ran for 8, walked for 2. I have discovered that my legs carry me best at about 6.8-7.0 miles per hour. That's about a 9 minute mile. It's tough for me to keep that pace for the entire length of time, but my intention is to work towards it as a steady pace. Anything faster seems too much for me and anything slower seems a little jarring.

Nanci and I were also discussing how even if something happens that doesn't allow us to do the marathon - medical problem, injury, etc - the fact that we have ran 5 days a week for the past three weeks is nothing short of a freaking miracle. We can already tell we've increased endurance and distance - in three short weeks! I'm glad we had that conversation because too often while I'm running, my mind goes to that horrible "How will I do this for 26.2 miles" mindset instead of the happy "look how far I've come already!" place where I need to be. It was a nice reminder to keep track of the achievements along the way while in pursuit of the final milestone!

Some of you have asked about my music of choice. Here are some of the songs that keep me going:

Only the Good Die Young
My Life
We Didn't Start the Fire
Hard to Handle
A Long December
Wide Open Spaces
Ready to Run
This One's For the Girls
Independence Day
Long Time Gone
Your Song
Tiny Dancer
Closer to Fine
Carlina in my Mind
Just Another Day in Paradise
Loads by Tim McGraw
How Do You Like Me Now
On the Road Again

I know you are probably scratching your head on some of these. For me, the songs that keep me putting one foot in front of the other either have a special meaning to me, inspire me (Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying), or just have a great beat. Any song by Billy Joel (for whatever reason) just keeps me going. Who knew?

Ok readers - I've got to run. My lunch break is over and I have a meeting! I hope to report a fabulous workout to you tomorrow!