Friday, June 12, 2015

6/11 = 49.5 = 6 months (and a long ways) to go

Sheesh - this blogging thing is just not going well.  It's going about as well as my 'training'.
My Momma taught me if I can't say anything nice, don't say anything. My lack of blogging should speak volumes!  hahaha

OK - something nice:  I have added "The Hill" to my training.  It's 1.75 miles over to the Guadalupe river and a pretty significant downhill grade the last tenth of a mile.  Which means a pretty significant UPhill grade after I turn around and come back.  Not only does The Hill add difficulty to my training, it also increases the distance to 3.5-4 miles, depending on how far past it I keep going before I turn around and how many loops I make along the way.  So far, I go this route once a week. The next challenge is to pick up the pace so I can actually 'run' down and then back up the hill.

Also - I have successfully 'ran' (without stopping) for three-quarters (0.75) of a mile.  That is a new PR for me.  (PR means Personal Record)  I run as far as I can and then walk until the next 1/4 mile marker and start running again.  Continue alternating run/walk as long as possible, then walk as fast as possible for the duration.  When I do run, I am running about a 13.5 pace.

Those are the good things I have to report since last blog of April 13th.  We were getting ready for Relay for Life then.  We were not able to do the non-stop 5k during, but did log a LOT of steps and I ran one lap (1/4 mile) without stopping at about eleven pm.  We hung around a while longer and then called it - didn't stay all night.

Overall my April training went pretty well - I logged 29.5 miles for the month.  I was getting pretty fired up for the May 16th Sombrero 5k, and then it started raining.  ...And raining, and then it rained some more.  ...And the mold counts skyrocketed and I had an allergy issue.  I don't typically have a problem, but this time my sinuses and a hacking cough really knocked me down.  So I went to the Dr and got a steroid pack and that fixed me up.  I was doing better, but knew I wasn't going to set any PRs for the 5k.  But then it was postponed because of all the rain and flooding.  Yay - I think.  May training also not so good - very soggy.  We did go camping/hiking at Davis Mountains in West Texas and I felt much better out on the trails than I did the last time we went in August of 2014.

Back to the 5k postponement - it was postponed to this weekend, and next weekend is the one for June.  So that means two in a row - Yay.  And we didn't do April, so I'm one behind - Yay.

It's six months until the big 5-0 and I'm only up to 15 of the 50k (5k x 10 races) for 50/50 2015.  In two weeks, I'll be up to 25 of the 50, so I guess that's a good thing...

In other (non-running) news...  I went to an awesome spiritual retreat called The Walk to Emmaus in early May. Contrary to the title, there wasn't much walking involved.  Lots of spiritual exploration and discussions and it has helped me gain focus in my life.  I just may have figured out what I want to be when I grow up.  Now - to apply those precepts to my running disciplines...

Thank you for your patience throughout my ramblings.  I know this doesn't seem like a very "positive" or "uplifting" blog.  These are my honest thoughts and feelings.  I do not have strong discipline or consistency or motivation and it really does help me to blog about it.  My situation is typically not as bleak as it initially seems after I put it out here in writing.  I am able to sort through and find some things that are going well and recognize other areas to improve.

My hope is that you can read about my journey and realize that I am not perfect, nor do I strive to be. I hope my struggles encourage you to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other.

#RunningTowardsFifty

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