Giving Thanks

Turkey Day proved to be a challenging run. We decided to run early Thursday morning for our long 10 miler to burn off those calories we were going to eat at turkey dinner. As Bryan and John refer to it: Guilt Free Turkey Day run. We started at Botkin and ran our way north all the way to Hillside, back down H and around through Donut Bay and back east through town until we headed back south towards Botkin again. We stayed at the same pace, about 9:25 until around mile 6. I was the first to slack off as my knees were killing me and I had to stop and walk a bit. JB and Alison kept a good pace with Kitchel in tow. I walked quite a bit during this run as my goal from finishing in a descent time changed to simply making the distance. Alison had a little walk session around mile 8 and slowed down quite a bit. If she only knew that when I saw her walk, I thought "just keep running!" These group of girls are amazing and so supportive and they actually came back and ran and picked up "The Slacker" aka me a few times. We keep each other motivated and even when we have to go slow, it's a comfort to know the girls are there whether we're in front or behind each other. We still finished in a good time, but you always feel disappointed when you have to walk during a run.

We have discussed the walking issue in quite detail before. Is it really that bad to walk during a run that is difficult? In a runners mind, walking is the ultimate betrayal. It's that issue that you feel as if you're giving up...allowing the body to win in the running mental battle. And of course once you allow yourself to stop that first time, it makes it so much easier to give up and walk a second time, and a third and in my case on this particular run more than I'd like to admit to. And isn't it so much easier to let yourself walk? Than to keep working and fighting through the pain and keep running. Jeff Galloway has made the run-walk method of training for a marathon famous by suggesting that walking during a run is good for your body as it gives a brief relief to the stress you put on your body. It makes sense.. but it's been hard in our case to let ourselves give up in that way. Of course we don't beat each other up about walking, but we all are thinking the same thing.."man, I wish I wouldn't have walked".. unless your JB who never walks! Hey, but we are doing something more than that person sitting on the couch, walking or running, right?! Well...as long as we keep doing what we are doing and train in the right way, we should be able to RUN the full marathon without having to walk. Plus isn't that what water stops are for? A brief break in the monotony of running to get a drink and take a second to catch your breath? Ahh.. but then there's the pain issue that comes into the discussion. Is it OK to run through pain? Or is your body really trying to tell you that you're doing something wrong? Some would say just walk, others would say run through it. All I know is the feeling of accomplishment when you tell yourself that you have to stop, but you keep running... It's an amazing feeling when you know you've beat your body and just kept going! That far surpasses the pain... Well, maybe next time we'll remember that and not walk :) 

This week we ran 21 total miles for our training schedule. Next up, we have the Anders Trail Stomp 2 mile extreme race on Saturday morning; Tuesday-3miles, Wednesday-5miles, Thursday-3miles and our long run next Saturday will be 7. Total weekly mileage will be 18 miles. Until next time..

Quote of the Day: "I will persist without exception"

-Andy Andrews