First, May 2012.
At first glance on my iPhone Nike+ app May 2012 had 63 miles. That seemed incredibly short for where I would have been in my training, I looked for my May 2012 report and discovered I didn't write one. Shame on me. But I dug deeper. I checked my stats on Running Ahead and Daily Mile only to confirm, my app lied. It makes sense. It only logs the miles I run with the sensor or GPS tracking me. That isn't always the case. Why didn't I think about that before? So in reality, in May 2012 I ran 110 miles. That makes me happier than 63. It allows me to better assess where I am in this training cycle as compared to last year. And what makes it nicer is that I am training for the same to big marathons at the end of the year. Apples to apples rocks! But it makes the image in this post inaccurate, and I have noted such.
But fortunately, I am using my stats from Daily Mile to construct this visual of how my training in progressing. I trust Daily Mile whole heartedly since I am 100% committed to being true and accurate here to track my running streak days and miles. I kinda like how the 2013 line is growing....how about you?
May has proven that my mind is indeed growing stronger. I have been battling tummy issues, and other things Mother Nature throws my way, and have been staying pretty much on target with my training. How do I know my mind is getting stronger? I am hitting tempo runs on days I don't want to run the tempo run. I always think of a zillion reasons to not run this run, or how to postpone the run, but I always dig deep to get it down. And in all reality, my mind does make the run worse than it is. Plus I am beginning to run the tempo runs with less looking at the clock for time and miles left. This is s skill I am working on as during runs I often think, how much longer? How many miles? How much time?
Sunday's run cemented how strong my mind is getting. And don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of work to do in this arena. But Sunday my mind kept me going when my body wanted to quit. And it wasn't my running muscles screaming, it was that darn female issue and the run colliding with the worse time of the month. And even though the run was only 15 miles instead of 16-18 miles I see it as a success. I pushed myself through many obstacles. My mind wasn't dwelling on how far I had gone or how far I had left. If it was dwelling on anything it was that I was only going to run 15 miles. And as much as I had thoughts of sending dear hubby ahead to come back and get me, I knew I would finish those 15 miles. And I finished them strong with my final mile being my fastest and my overall pace being just a few seconds faster than my target marathon pace to break a 4:20 marathon. Success. Near the end I asked dear hubby once about approximate distance. His reply, 14 miles with one mile to go. He knows me well but was off target at that moment. Ironically, I wasn't asking to see how much further I had to go or to see where I was due to a weak mind. I was asking to confirm that my sensor was on target because I didn't want to fall short on mileage due to error. I felt I was good to go and knew he would know better since he really does look at those mile signs along the road and we were on his traditional running grounds/route.
And the confirmation that my body is equally strong - I didn't feel any additional delayed onset muscle soreness after my run and was able to hit my training goals on Monday and Tuesday. But I am not so naive to think I won't feel any DOMS in the latter portions of my training as I am sure it will come. You just don't always know when.
June Goals
In addition, I want to focus on my nutrition in June. I have re-started a food log to document what I eat and how my tummy feels to see if something can be pinpointed. Unfortunately, my introductory month with a nutritionist is over. She was a doll and provided some insight on incorporating more protein here and there to keep my energy up. My stomach issues started at the end of the trial period and I just can't afford another month right now. And yes, I have doctor appointments and tests to help identify the cause of my tummy woes. Right now, my tummy seems better but perhaps that is the medicine that I am to take each and every morning. I don't want to continue to do that. Sorry, I do not like relying on medicine to feel good. It is a me thing. I just want to feel good. But right now, I am taking the medicine so my family, friends, and co-workers may not need to hear me
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for no cane fires this morning.
Daily Affirmation: My hands can comfort others.