I started out relatively slow (no watch to tell me just how slow) and simply tried to be--a personal task that stumps me every day. I gave thanks for my two good legs and a healthy heart and patted myself on the back for even coming out. After feeling like a failure several times in the recent couple weeks it may have been easier to sit home and read. (I haven't yet touched on what happened to my fragile psyche when I flirted with the idea of training for a half marathon...) I gave myself landmarks to reach (a tip from the boyfriend) and told myself I could walk once I got there...if I wanted to. Turns out I never wanted to. I felt strong today, confident. It was the first time I've felt like this in two months of running.
Of course, being the teacher I am, I gave myself a couple goals to work on: one, watch my breathing. Try and keep it steady so at the end of the run, I wasn't wheezing like I was at the 5k finish line. Second, work on getting my heels higher. Without a mirror, it's entirely guesswork, but I aimed for it anyway. Third and final goal: enjoy myself. I'm happy to say I ended up running 3 miles and feeling relatively strong when I finished. My breathing was steady and, other than a slight discomfort in my left ankle, I felt great. Finally, I had a run that felt good, rather than something I got through.
See...plus, you will get faster simply from logging more miles. One piece of advice that sticks with me and works is "Run miles. Mostly easy. Sometimes fast." It's a takeoff on the Michael Pollan book...his mantra is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I'm working on that one. The running one is easier.
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But running more miles is easier when pace is kept conversational. If you can't hold a casual conversation you are running too fast. Eventually you will be able to talk at faster paces as you gradually increase your miles.