Speeding Up In May

I've just realized that I haven't posted at all in May, and this month is already half way over!

This month has been a really AWESOME running month for me! I started running a little with my friend Shannon last month and just the few runs I did with her really showed me that I can actually run faster than I have been running! It was a huge revelation for me! That mixed with my new desire to maybe someday at least be close to trying to be able to qualify for Boston have really given me new inspiration and fuel for getting faster.

Two weeks ago she came and did my long run with me. I took her up City Creek and we did 10 miles. It was really fun and she loved it up there as much as I do.  She helped push me and when we got a mile from home, I told her about how that mile is always so hard for me because it flattens out, and she suggested pushing it hard right there a couple times to get past that feeling. We finished with an average of 10:35 minute miles, which was really great for me, especially with it being uphill half the way! 

I was telling Shannon about my sad attempt at an 8 minute mile, and just how running on the treadmill  is so hard for me, and she told me about how she did her first 8 minute mile. She said she turned the TV on so she could focus on that, then just set the speed and ran until she hit one mile then she jumped off. I hadn't really tried turning the tv on while I run. I guess I thought to myself, "I'm a runner, I don't watch TV while I run!" Or something. I don't know. I'm just not a big fan of TV.

Anyways, my next run was going to be speed work so I decided to try to the 8 minute mile again. This time I did as she suggested and turned on the TV.  

Fresh Prince was playing which was funny in a "Ha ha, I used to like this show" kind of way, but it was distracting. I did half a mile, then stopped it, got a drink and got back on. 

This time I got way closer to 8:00! (the time before was 8:50 if you remember from my last post) So that was really exciting! 

My next hard run was a tempo run. I had done my last 2 tempo runs with Shannon, but she couldn't do it this time so I set out by myself. I was so excited that I was able to push it, even by myself, and I came in with a less than 10 minute mile average. Yay! Then I saw this waiting in my mail box when I got home. I thought that was fitting! 

This is how I felt about this run! (Happy)

My next long run, I did by myself and I did 11 miles. I remembered what Shannon had told me and pushed myself on the last couple of miles. My pace wasn't quite as good this time, but I was still happy with 10:45 minute miles.

Next run was speed work again and this time I just decided to go into it planning on doing half mile intervals since that's what I've ended up doing anyway. I ran to the gym (half a mile) did about a 10:00 mile, then did 4 half mile intervals, stopping for a 2 minute break between each one. Then I did another 10:00 mile to finish off before running home. I felt really good about this workout!

In this picture it doesn't show the first mile I did on the treadmill because I reset it before I started the intervals, but I LOVE those numbers!

Yesterday was my long run again and this time I got to do 12 miles! Wahoo! I had to do it in the evening since I had to finish a cake in the morning, and I really wasn't looking forward to that. I don't know what it is about afternoon/evening workouts, but I just don't want to do them.

Well, I made myself a new playlist on Rdio (runnin, runnin, runnin) and I loved it! I had so much fun and felt like I had so much energy! :)

I ran up City Creek again, this time going a little farther, and it was so beautiful up there! I felt so grateful to be up there! And as usual it was fun to be up in the mountains, then in what feels like no time, be back in the city. It was a fun run. I really pushed it, and I really felt like a runner!

I was so excited to almost finish in 2 hours! 12 miles in 2 hours, WHAT?! :) It was 2:03 to be exact so that put my average pace at 10:15. Wahoo! That is amazing for me for a long run! I am getting really excited for this half marathon and am starting to think I might be able to pull off a 2 hour finish with all the downhill. I will just need to not stop, and keep pushing myself on the last 3 miles where it flattens out and gets hard. I will keep practicing pushing it at the end because running home is a perfect simulation of that.