Got any bite-sized runs?

Have you ever tried to run 4 miles straight? I have. And it's not as easy as it looks. Many of you know that I started running about 4 months ago. Since I was very overweight and out of shape, I knew that I would have to start slowly. The first few weeks I just walked, 3-4 times a week, usually 3-4 miles. Then, I started running using Robert Ullrey's Couch to 5K podcast.

http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/

His podcast is AWESOME. I downloaded it to my iPod, and followed the program religiously, running only 3 days per week with at least 1 resting day in between. However, I usually did an additional day of walking to continue to get my body in shape ( I also started working out with weights 2-3 times/week). I had a goal in mind. I wanted to compete in the Blue Bell Fun run on April 17. My goal: run the ENTIRE race, without walking at all.

Now, when I first started, I was pumped. I looked forward to each running session, and I can remember being amazed and super proud after completing my first 5-minute run during week 4! After that, there were a few days here and there that I didn't really "feel" like running, but I knew that I had to keep on schedule if I wanted to work up to my 5K by April 17. The longest run I did before the race was a 30 minute run, but since I run only a 12-minute mile (on the treadmill), this was only 2 1/2 miles. I was hoping that adrenaline and sheer determination would get me through the finish line on race day.

AND IT DID!!!

I am proud to say that I met my goal--I ran the whole 5K, hills and all! My time was 42:36, which isn't stellar, but I made it! I was very proud of my accomplishment. I went home all fired up to improve my time, as I was signed up for another 5K on May 1.

And then it hit. The running Blues. I had accomplished my first goal, and after that, I lost intensity in my workouts. I wanted to push myself farther, and work up to running 4 miles. But when I went to the gym, I couldn't even go 3 miles anymore. I felt like I had regressed, and my heart just wasn't in it anymore. I pushed through it as much as possible for those two weeks, and still put in good workouts, but I wasn't pushing myself to the limit. I felt like I had the right to take it easy, so I didn't stress too much about it.

May 1 dawned, and it was the first really humid day we'd had here in Houston this spring. I started the run with the goal of finishing in under 40 minutes, which would be shaving 2 1/2 minutes off my previous time. I figured, hey, I ran the whole race two weeks ago, this should be a piece of cake. Only it wasn't! It was horrible. The humidity sapped my strength and made me sweat even more than normal (which is saying something, since I sweat like a freaking beast!!!). I felt like I was drowning in the air. I hit mile 1 and had to stop and walk. The course went through a neighborhood, so I would run a few blocks, and then walk a few. I tried to keep my walking pace very brusque, and made myself keep running, if only in short spurts. I still felt good, and was confident that my last mile would be under the 40 minute mark.

To be honest, I don't know what my finishing time was. I managed to muster up some final strength and will power and ran (jog would be a better term) the last few hundred yards. This was a local race, so with no timing chips, I don't really know what my race time was. The finish line was backed way up, because they were making people file through single-file (so the officials could write down each racing number), and it was several seconds before I could even find the clock. When I finally found it, the time was 40:51, but I will still claim that I ran the actual race in under 40 minutes, since I was at the back of the starting line, and couldn't find the clock for several seconds at the finish. Either way, my time has improved, which was good.

I went home, high on the adrenaline of another race, and promptly signed up for ANOTHER 5K on May 29. I was sure that this would help to motivate me in my workouts, and bring the intensity back to running.

Only it didn't. I spent the first week after the race searching for excuses not to run. I was just tired. And busy. It's the end of the school year, there's so much to do. Blah. Blah. Blah. And worst of all, I couldn't seem to duplicate in the gym what I could do in the races. I'd be on the treadmill, and just give up after 2 or 2 1/2 miles. I just couldn't seem to get it together. I was very discouraged, and wondering how I could have lost my love of running.

And then, I did something that has changed my life, and changed my running. I had been reading about Jeff Galloway's "run-walk-run" method, and decided to try it out for myself. Basically, Jeff (a very famous marathoner, writer, and Olympian) says that during your runs, you should take short walking breaks, to allow your heart-rate to come down briefly and then go back up, and to keep your muscles from fatiguing too quickly. It's also supposed to make your body burn more fat.

So, I put it to the test. I have been wanting to run 4 miles for a while, and hadn't been able to even run 3 since right after the Blue Bell Run. I knew that most of my block was MENTAL, and that I needed to find a way to break through it. Because, physically, I could run 4 miles. Mentally, however, I could not seem to make myself run for 48 minutes straight.

On Wednesday, I started my workout with my 5 minute warm-up walk. Then, I ran a mile, which for me, is 12 minutes. After that, I walked for 2 minutes, and while I was walking I took mental note of how I was feeling, made sure I drank some water, wiped the sweat off my face a little. And then, when my two minutes were up, I ran another mile. Then I took a 2 minute break, hydrated, wiped sweat, and ran a 3rd. Now, I have to say, that when I finished that 3rd mile, I was feeling pretty good. And as I walked for those two minutes, I took inventory, and realized that I felt REALLY good. Good enough to do another. And so I did. I ran 4 miles, with 2 minute breaks between each one. And when it was over, I felt GREAT! Both physically and mentally. I had finally made it through the wall!!!

Now, doing something once does not make it a habit. So, yesterday, I tried the same thing--breaking my run into 1-mile chunks--and guess what. I DID IT AGAIN!!! I ran 4 miles! And at the end, I knew that I had it in me to run another mile or two. My goal this week is to continue to run 4 miles on my two weekday runs, and next Saturday, I'm going for 5 miles!!!

As I've reflected on this MENTAL breakthrough, I realize that running, like other large tasks in life, is most easily managed when broken into smaller, bite-sized chunks.

As the old adage goes:
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!!!

How do you run 4 miles? One mile at a time!