Promises, promises...

I know you may find this hard to believe, but I've yet to get up early again before work to go running. Shocking.

I did, however, go for my first real run in the rain last Saturday morning. After reading Running Like a Girl, by Ms. Heminsley, I realized that for her, living in England and all, she probably had more rainy outings than not, and that a slight drizzle shouldn't really be a valid excuse anymore. Frankly, it really wasn't bad at all. I think I might do well to leave my rain jacket at home next time, though. Even with my venting zippers it was still a bit too steamy.

So, the most awful part of this particular post is where I confess that I haven't been out to run at all since that rainy Saturday. I did do some hiking and camping, so that's something, I guess. I really am going to start focusing here shortly, I promise...

Also, the new Chromeo album is extremely entertaining and I fully intend to put it on my ipod ASAP so as to give myself the option to run whilst enjoying it. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 25.2
• 2014:  98.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5

Well, that wasn't so bad...

This morning, for the first time ever in my entire life, I got up earlier than I had to, before work, and I ran 3 miles.

I've often heard that you should just get up early and work out in the morning, "before your body even realizes what it's doing!" I have to say, this notion felt all-too-frighteningly accurate as I was hurtling down the street this morning. And by the end of it, it felt almost as if it'd never even happened. I hopped in to the shower thinking I'd just had some really odd, vivid dream with sunshine and lots of people walking dogs. I admit, I was especially pleased with myself upon seeing all the people out running in the 87-degree heat on my drive home from work.

Needless to say, I may be trying this again very soon.

So, I really lost a lot of momentum last week. By which I mean I don't think I ran at all, anywhere, at any point last week...

In an effort to make up for my lack of mileage, I went all-out on a 5-mile run on Sunday afternoon. It was less than lovely, and it became very apparent that my running style may need some work. I think I was just tired and fell in to some unusual sort of strained/strange gait. The more I read about running, I can't help but think I probably need to actually do some legit 'strength-training' type work.

I hope to do some more reading about running, (which sounds kinda silly now that I see it typed out), as it's been pretty useful so far. If nothing else, it's slowly helping me come up with more of a training plan beyond, ya know, just "keep running a lot before the marathon."

I'm looking to start some 'interval/sprint training' and definitely/unfortunately some hill-running.

Stay-tuned. Things could get interesting! (There's a chance they might not...We'll see!)

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 22.2
• 2014:  95.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5

Duathlon-ed.

Hey! I finished my 1st duathlon! And you know, I dare say that I even enjoyed it. I kept waiting for the awful part, where I'd have to get in to the lake and swim, and it never happened! The park was lovely and I just could not have asked for nicer weather. A little cool, with a decent breeze and lots of sunshine.

While I certainly didn't break any records, I didn't break myself either. Starting out on the last 3-mile run was a bit brutal at first, and frankly, I was probably not sufficiently hydrated. It got easier though, and I almost didn't even mind the hills. It was so very, very encouraging, as I look ahead to the marathon, that I was able to keep up my motivation and will to finish over the entire 2 hours and 2 minutes it took me to complete the course. (My little 'cheering section' was certainly a huge boost, too -- thanks, guys!)

Me and my crew.

Overall, it was just an all-around pretty fantastic experience and I'd really love to give it another go next year.

That being said, do I get to include the miles I rode/ran in the duathlon in my 'Totals' count below? I guess I get to decide, seeing as this is my blog. Ha!

And speaking of miles, the weekend before, I attempted my longest run yet! The course I'd tentatively set out for myself looked to be about 9 miles, but by my best guess, I only completed about 8 total. I'll need to remeasure, but I'm calling it 8 for now. So, that was pretty exciting, too!

So, yeah. Tune in next time for more stuff about my adventures in running, etc.!

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 14.2
• 2014:  87.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5