10K Training Week 1

Perhaps I was in denial (not the river in Egypt), or perhaps I just didn't look closely enough....but this 10K team thing is HARD! The plan calls for 5(!) days a week of working out of some sort. It was hard to always fit my 3 in before, so this has really called for me to make working out a priority in my life. Sunday was a rest day, but then I was back at it Monday through Thursday. Normally Wednesday is a rest day, but because of my Friday schedule, I had to move stuff up. The workouts looked like this: 2 mile run, 30 minute "tempo run", cross training (ellipctical this week), and 3 mile run.



First - I haven't run 3 miles in a row at any point yet. It just happens to appear there as if it's nothing. AND this weekend's outdoor run calls for the same 3 miles. A "tempo run" - lest you think it's fun - is a build up until you reach your ideal race pace and then a bit of a taper off. NOT easy.



It was the first time though that I've had problems with my knee. I think my shoes are wayyy too old at this point, so they are getting replaced. I hope that helps with the knee issues.



I think perhaps I'm coming upon my first real noticable change in running for me. Last night's 3 mile run took over 36 minutes for me to complete. But, I wasn't dying when I finished and I was able to do it all at the same pace. It's really the most effective I've felt my lungs to be at any point. I think working the 3 days a week helped get me there, but I suspect that my legs will finally start to get tired before my lungs do (which has always been the case before). Not knowing too much about everything, it just seems like this is a natural progression for a first time runner. This still hasn't really helped my mental process yet - I still don't like running and don't think of myself as a runner. I do feel though that I'm a bit tougher and am not going to give up on certain challenges as easily. This may all change if I have to run up that damn hill again tomorrow.