Me Talk Runner One Day

Date:	02/02/2011 5:45:00 PM
Workout:	Aerobic Capacity Intervals
Course:
Distance:	3.25 mi
Time:	21:42.00 (6:40 / mi)
Warmup/Cooldown:	3.4 mi
Comments:	Feel like I slightly redeemed myself from last week. I made up a workout for myself tonight. Apparently, this is what I do now. Did 1x1600, 2 min rest, 2x800 with 1:30 rest after each, 4x400 with 1:00 rest after each, and 2x200 with :30 rest. I have to work on what my 'goal pace' is on workouts like this. I mainly just knew I wanted to start at slightly faster than 5K pace and get faster with the shorter intervals. Ran with Jessica B., so it's good to have another workout partner. Did some googling on the foot pain I've had the last couple days, sounds like Morton's Neuroma. Picked up a metatarsal pad to put in my shoe and it worked really well. Didn't hurt at all during workout and only a little after. Will throw some ice on it tonight. Splits: 6:58 3:18 3:22 1:35 1:35 1:35 1:37 :48 :43 Not bad.

Alright, so I just copied and pasted that straight from my athleticore log. A few notes about this...one, I actually care enough to log all my runs and workouts now. Two, I remember reading about workouts like the one I posted when I started running two years ago and thinking...what the EFF? What kind of weird runner language is that? (What does it MEAN?)*

*Thanks to Dusti and Caleb for introducing me to the double rainbow guy.

I remember why I started running. Well, I say 'started running.' It's not like I had never run before and then one day the leg braces flew off and it was magic. I actually went through a phase in grad school where I was going to the gym a lot. I ran on the treadmill, did the elliptical, and went to kickboxing and Pilates classes pretty regularly. But that pretty much went to shit when I moved to Charlotte. So, although I had dabbled in the past, I look at February 2009 as my running debut. So, what were the reasons I started running? At the time, I needed a distraction, something to keep me busy, so that was one reason. I was also trying to quit my nasty habit of off and on smoking. (I had been known to destroy a pack by myself in a night of drinking.) I also wanted to meet new people. While I had some good friends, I felt really stuck in that 'not a kid anymore, but not quite a grown-up' phase and I wanted more friends that I felt like would be good influences on me.

The reasons why I kept running are very different than those initial reasons. Two years later, smoking is a pretty distant past habit (although I can admit I've slipped occasionally but it's been few and far between), I definitely stay busy, and my entire social circle has changed. Somehow, along the way, I even ended up social director for Charlotte Running Club. What I didn't expect was to fall head over heels in love with running. I love competing against myself and pushing myself to faster times. I like not knowing what my potential is just yet. I love how it feels to finish a hard workout or a long run. Racing has become a big deal to me.

I used to think it was nuts how serious people were about running. Now, don't get me wrong, I have a long ways to go to move up to what I would consider the 'next level' of running. But the runner I was two years ago would be in awe of the runner I am today. So, maybe my workout tonight wasn't anything mind-blowing to an elite runner, but I'm proud to say I speak 'runner talk' now.