Another long run!

Sunday I ran about 10.5 miles...after adjusting the LA Leggers program to be more of a comfortable mileage climb, I decided to run some of the runs by myself instead of killing myself on their course and killing myself to get to Santa Monica so early in the morning. I figured since I have to run the next couple races alone, I need to learn how to use what they have taught me thus far and develop a strategy that is going to work for me to get thru my first half marathon .....which, by the way, is coming up very quickly now.

I took a new and beautiful course thru the green belt in Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches, and listened to my tunes and tried to concentrate on running slow and consistently. I did the run/walk approach just like they teach us and knew when I hit 5 miles, I was going to turn around home. Unfortunately, my running app only signals me every 2 miles so well after I hit 4 miles, I checked my app to see how much farther was my 5. - That is when I accidentally hit some button...and now it started to chime out directions for run/walking a 5k....argh!!!!  I had turned the brightness down to save the battery and could not understand what I pushed to undo my error. So I just decided (from experience now) where I thought I was hitting the 5 miles and turned to change my route and head back a longer way to be safe and hit my 10 mi goal. 

By mile 7 or 8 my knees were starting to hurt again...not so intense but I knew this ending would be like the rest...very challenging as I ran through the pain and reveled in my 1 minute walk breaks. I was pretty sure by mile 9.5 that I was going to have a hard day after this run...my knees wanted to stop...and not just the left one anymore! The right one was joining in the choir of singing to me about pain. I was not feeling like my leg would give out but I also felt continuing like this does me no good in the long term.

When you struggle- Your mind begins to question whether you should even be doing this, that perhaps genetically you were not gifted with a body to take this kind of pavement pounding. On a whole, my body feels strong, like I can continue to run longer still if not for the knees....so what do you do? I want to listen to my spirit, not my body...but I know I need both to work together. 

I ran a little farther than my house just to be sure I was over my goal and ignored my pings in the knees- but I wanted to go as far as I could take it...I need to get closer to 13.1 before the big day and feel good about it. On a whole this run was better than my first 10 miler- but still not great.

I am still healing from the run, my knees are still sore today, and I keep thinking..."how am I ever going to do 13? " ...I still don't know... But if I have to walk the last mile or two...I will finish that race no matter what...I have to.