Kara Runs

Yes, this is still Kara Runs. Even though I’ve only been on about 5 runs since the end of May. But stay with me! Things are about to get exciting. I hope.

This is me excited.

I went for a 4 mile run on Monday and it was wonderful. I’ve essentially been “resting” from running ever since the Brooklyn Half. I think I’ve taken it a little too far though – now I’m starting to feel a little less in shape, a little less ease in the paces I was hitting pre-Brooklyn. I know I said that I was getting back into like a week ago, but sometimes life just gets in the way. I’m not going to throw out excuses, I’m just admitting it. Done.

Honestly, my body wanted a break…but now I think I’ve gotten the green light. For real this time.

On Monday, as with most of my runs lately, I started out feeling a little apprehensive about my 4 miles. I never know what my body is going to throw at me these days. But I was able to pick up my speed gradually without feeling anything out of the norm. I finished sweaty and happy and high on running and loving my Brooks Launch again.

I’ve missed you, you mismatching shoes.

Along the trail, (concrete trail, that is) I also remembered I’m registered for the Queens 10K on July 1^st. Funny how that slipped my mind…July just seems so far away! That realization definitely added fuel to the fire…if I don’t pick it up and get back to following my running coach’s schedule, I envision myself limping off the course, crying on a sidewalk somewhere in Queens, and trying to avoid my Ragnar teammates in fear they’ll kick me off the team for lack of speed and/or any apparent mental stability. No one wants that.

So, this is my current situation. While my normal two-hour commute home from work is typically around 5pm, last night it was at 9pm. Meaning I didn’t make it home until 11pm, when a sleepy Brendan picked me up at the train station. What a nice boy! He had a long, hard day at work as well but still stayed up wayyy past bedtime to pick me up so I wouldn’t have to walk the 9 minutes home in the dark. What a trooper! Have I mentioned how lucky I am?

I’m a lucky lady!

When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would get through the workday. My sheer exhaustion had me contemplating different places I could go to take a nap over my lunch hour. Thankfully I’ve woken up a bit, and the mile repeats I have on tap today don’t seem as laughable as they did in the fog of tiredness that enveloped me this morning.

I. LOVE. SLEEP. 8 hours a night. Or else.

Coach Michele has me down for a 1 mile warm up, 4x 1 mile at 7:33 – 7:51 pace with 2-3 minutes rest in between, and 1 mile cooldown. While those paces may seem totally easy for some of you, I’m a little scared of them. I don’t think I’ve seen 7s on my Garmin since I’ve had a Garmin. Except when there’s that random fluke pace on Garmin Connect, like when you’re on a bridge or where it says “fastest pace” in the stats. I don’t know where that number comes from, to be honest. Maybe when I speed up for .4 seconds to cross the street and am trying to a) not get hit by a car or b) pretend I care that said car is waiting for me to cross before they can proceed. (It’s a toss up.)

I’ll surely report back on this long-awaited, much needed speed workout tomorrow.

Now…can I get an encore? Do you want more? Sorry, I was just channeling Jay-Z circa 2007. I was going to say “can I get a drumroll please” but then naturally a rap song popped into my head. Doesn’t that happen to everyone? ANYWAY. What I’m trying to say is; I HAVE A GIVEAWAY WINNER!

The lucky, lucky duck who won a shiny new pair of Saucony running shoes (that I hope will promptly become muddy and sweat-filled) is…

suek18
“Prior to May 26 I would have said that the last time I truly pushed myself to finish a race was at the Philadelphia Marathon in November (my first, but not my last!) However, at a half marathon two weeks ago it took every bit of mental and physical energy I had to cross the finish line. Although I felt great and was very excited about this awesome race, it was almost 80 degrees with 90% humidity at 7 AM. By mile 2 I was drenched, having trouble breathing, and knew it was NOT going to be a day to PR! I took several walk breaks after I started to get the chills at mile 6 because my body simply couldn’t cool itself, and knew that I needed to play it safe instead of stupid. (Let’s not forget the blisters on both feet AND the chafing that slowed me down even more!) Knowing that my husband and kids were at the finish line motivated me to give it my all, but every step was truly a struggle. I’m incredibly proud of my 2:06 finish time because I pushed for it more than I’ve pushed for a finish in a REALLY long time “

Yeahhh Sue! Way to dominate that half! I commend you for remembering to stay safe and still finding your strong! Obviously you listened to your body and did what was right for you.

On a side note, sometimes finding your strong really does mean finding the strength to stop if you need to. That’s one of my biggest struggles.

Sue: please email me at: kararunsblog @ gmail . com with your mailing address within the next week to claim your new fancy shoes courtesy of Saucony! Can’t wait to hear what you think about them!

If you didn’t win, so sorry for the let down. But remember, you still have a chance to win if you entered on the Find Your Strong Project site. Plus, they are continuously adding new giveaways so be sure to check back weekly if you still want some gear.

What’s your mindset going into speed workouts? Do you sleep 8 hours a night? Love taking jumping pictures? (Try it, it’s fun!)