Life of a Runner: Slow Beginnings

Hello readers! This is a rather big week for my training because I have a 10k on Saturday. I am nowhere near prepared for it, but we’ll see how it goes!

Monday

3 miles, 25:15 (8:26/mile)

Today I went on a run around town to scope out a good hill for my hill workout tomorrow. There aren’t really many big hills around me, at least not within a good distance from my house, so I had to get a bit creative. I found one that’s about 120 meters so I think that’s good enough. The quickest way to get in shape is by doing hill repeats, so this is the first step on my road back into shape. I was actually feeling pretty good today. Also, there was a really nice lady walking her dog who stopped to talk to me and tell me good job. That made me feel good too.

Tuesday

4 miles, 34:52 (8:43/mile)

This was technically my first workout since about September. That being said, I think it went pretty well. I actually think I could have pushed myself even more, but I didn’t want to risk it. I ended up doing 13 reps on that hill for about two miles of a hill workout. My warm-up was about 1.25 miles and the cool-down about 0.75. Today was supposed to be the nicest day of the week, and it was a safe distance away from Saturday so I wouldn’t be too sore for the race. I got some odd looks during my workout, but otherwise it went well! I know I need to start incorporating some strength work as well, but I don’t have the motivation for it.

Wednesday

OFF

I had a meeting after school and was planning to run after, but the day caught up to me and it was already almost 4:30, so I went home.

Thursday

2 miles, 16:58 (8:29/mile)

Today was not a good day. However, I knew I needed to get out and run because it would make me feel better. And what do you know? It did. I ran around the school and then decided to finish out on the track because the snow is finally melted off! The track runners were also doing their workout on the track, so I got to see them as I ran by. It was the best decision by far to run today, as it helped clear my mind and make me a bit happier.

Friday

OFF

I was in a bit of a rush today because I drove home for the weekend. And by home, I mean back to Keystone to spend it with my family. So I pretty much had to get on the road right after school and forwent my run for the day.

Saturday

6.2 miles, 1:00:30 (9:45/mile)

I know, just by looking at my time, you might not be impressed. But there are several reasons why I am happy for today and I will tell you all of them! First, this was my first race in over a year! My last race was actually Indoor Conference, the 3k. I can’t even believe that. Second, the conditions of the trail were really awful. This 10k took place on my old stomping grounds — so to speak — the Garrison trail. The snow hasn’t melted up there as much as it has down at home, so it was still completely covered. The worst part was, there were parts where it was hard snow, parts where it was icy, and parts where it was melting and slippery. That led to most of the run consisting of me slipping along the snow and twisting my ankle. It was really exhausting. For the most part, it wasn’t even that I was out of breath, it was just that my legs were so darn tired.

I will say this: the first 400 meters felt great. I had a brief moment where I thought, “I’m racing!!” and then all the competitive edge in me was gone and I resigned myself to trudging through the snow at a not-so-quick pace. I could pretty much tell who was running the 5k right away, but it wasn’t until we reached the 1.5 mile mark that I realized there really weren’t many people running the 10k. There was a really nice guy who passed me and asked why I wasn’t wearing a hat or gloves. He seemed kind of concerned, so I reassured him I would warm up over the course of the next 6 miles. He ended up being 2nd place in the 10k. Anyway, the first 3 miles weren’t actually horrible; it was the last 3 I struggled through. At one point, I believe about 4.25 miles in, I slipped on some snow and did something to my hip. There were several instances when I noticed that my hip did not feel so great, but that was what did it. I’m not hurt, it’s just sore. My mom was right behind me the whole time, and after the halfway point, when I turned around, I found out there were 7 of us running the 10k. That is the loneliest race I’ve ever run! I think it helped that I’ve run there so many times for training and long runs. Yeah, the penultimate mile was particularly rough, but I made it. And Bailey was there cheering for me at the end!

The thing I missed most about races — besides, of course, actually running them — is the people. We got to chat with lots of cool people at the finish, like this awesome photographer dude who brought a case of Busch Light with him who apparently runs the Iowa Running Club, and a guy who recently did 124 miles on the treadmill. What the heck?? We heard lots of cool stories from him actually. But yeah, that’s the bit I missed the most. The whole Barnard family finished well today, and Mum, Dad, and I went 4, 5, and 3 in the 10k respectively. It was good!

Sunday

2.08 miles, 17:47 (8:33/mile)

Mum made me go for a run today, and I’m kind of glad. My hip hurt really bad and my legs were sore from yesterday, but I think it helped. Both miles were 8:33 but it felt much slower. We went north on the highway, which was fine until we turned around and there was wind. I did complain for a lot of the run. I hope she wasn’t annoyed. It’s been a long time since I’ve run out on the highway at home, so it was nice to see the old scenery. It does seem like a mile out of town is a lot longer than before. I also keep forgetting about the derecho, which did change up the landscape a bit. All in all, it was a good shakeout run. And it was nice to go with my mom before it was time to go back home.

This week, although the race was quite slow, was a great one for training. I’m not really concerned about where I am in regards to that race because I know the conditions. The point is, I can run a 10k and not die. Which must mean that, in about a month or so, I can run a half-marathon and not die! I’m hoping to get in some more good runs and maybe another hill workout this week, but we’ll see.

Thanks for reading!

— Morgan