Run 1

75 days until the 1/2. And it's official, I'm registered. I feel better about this since I actually ran today. I ran 2 miles without stopping. The last 1/2 mile was a little brutal. My legs felt a tad heavy, but generally OK. My lungs were hurting a bit, but my lungs are usually the first thing to bounce back into fighting shape after a couple runs, so I'm not so worried about them. I did feel a tad like a weak wet noodle though. My arms aren't strong, my core isn't strong. I forgot my music too, so no Dr. Feelgood to lift my spirits. Overall, it was a decent start to this process though. I didn't feel as gross and out of shape as I thought I would. I need to tell myself that there are tons of people in the world who can't run 2 miles, so I must not be in terrible shape. I tend to get super critical of myself. Trying to stop that.

Things I know about myself and running, learned at some point between the ages of 20-30:

- I can't run well if I've eaten a large meal in the day, even hours before. I prefer to run on an almost empty stomach.
- Sometimes a little sugar is all I need to push past a wall I've reached. From my experience, most people need to take calories around 45-50 min or so. I need to around 35-40, since my stomach is usually pretty empty to begin with.
- It feels good to come home and eat a good dinner, knowing I just ran.
- My legs will get stronger. It will get easier.
- My mind is a wild beast. If I'm going to run 2+ hours, I need to plan some mind strategies. My mind can easily kill a run. Physically I might be able to go out and run 5 miles, but my mind will stop me at 2 if it decides to unleash it's wrath. This isn't because it gets bored or it tells me to stop. It's because it gets restless. It races. It spins. Meditation is helping me tame the beast. More on that later.


I'm excited to be doing this. Very excited : )