8 Miles of Redemption or Week 3 of Half Marathon Training

Confession time:  Over the past 2 months I haven't run much.

I know, I know, you are shocked.  After my first half marathon in May, I just really needed some time to heal my body and to get back to where I enjoyed running again.  I ran 2 races and just tried to enjoy myself.  Well, during the RibFest 5 Miler I just tried to not die from the combination of the heat, humidity and the steroids I started for the nasty case of poison ivy I contracted.

Then I ran the Finish at the 50 10K at Gillete Stadium on July 3.  I was looking forward to hitting the turf at the New England Patriots home stadium for quite some time.  Too bad, it was 82 degrees at the start at 7PM.  That was just the beginning because it wasn't too long before all of the ice cream cones I licked and all of the beers I'd sipped during the 2 weeks or so prior caught up to me.  Let's just say I was lucky to finish it.  It was not my best time and I almost lost hope entirely during mile 5.  When I checked my Garmin afterwards it recorded my best pace as around a 7 minute mile when I averaged an 11 minute mile pace.  When I checked to see when in the hell I hit that fast of a pace I found it was when I crossed the finish line.  I was THAT ready to be done that I sprinted to the finish.  

Once the holiday weekend was over I decided it was time I got back into the swing of things.  I made a conscious effort to stick to fasting for 16 hours a day, worked hard to avoid all 15 of my food sensitivities and really stuck to my training plan, including getting all of my strength training in.  

The true test would come when I had to complete my 8 mile long run on Sunday.  My longest run in 2 months.  

This past Sunday, I laced up my sneakers, turned on my music and headed out the door.  I was really looking forward to some alone time and some time to clear my mind.  I was a little nervous about such a long run since its been awhile plus the rain didn't help, but I knew I had to get it done.

And get it done I did.  

This run was different than the other long runs I did back when I trained for my first half in the winter/spring.  My legs felt stronger.  I never felt like they were going to give out.  My hips didn't scream in pain that they wanted to give up.

Mentally, I just had to push through and I'd be fine.  I did have to stop and walk a few times to get my breathing under control and then I was ready to keep pushing.  I'm happy with my time and pace.  I'm starting to feel like me again!

It also helped to have some pretty awesome tunes blasting to keep me moving.  

I'm burnin' through the sky yeah

Two hundred degrees

That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit

I'm trav'ling at the speed of light.

-Queen "Can't Stop Me Now"