OK...sorry...I just had to do it. SITREP is military speak for "Situational Report"...or in today's case: how it's going mid-challenge. Effective just a few days ago, I returned to active duty in the U.S. Navy so the acronyms are trickling back into my vocabulary. So...I'm midway:
It's been going pretty good and as expected, my brain has been getting in my way. As you probably know, I started Day 1 with a 20-miler which gave me a little fudge to work with in later days. To recap: my goal is 10 days with no rest, minimum of 6 miles per day and an overall mileage goal of 100 miles. Basic math tells you real quick that either I have to run 10 miles every stinkin' day or get some long runs in there. I also committed to eat "clean" and consume 1 gallon of water every day. It's midday now and here's my jug of water so I'm doing pretty good but I do need to pick up the pace a bit. All but one day I hit the gallon mark. As for the clean eating...hmmm...well, a few hiccups in there. I've haven't splurged but have had some margarita chips and hummus. Really not much else bad outside of that.
OK, let's be real for a second, why don't we?! I'm burning a ton of calories. I'm also a 6'3", 200lb guy and I burn a bunch of calories just by living. I love me some good comfort food, no doubt, and what do you know...the driver (Randy Newman) of the Outback Steakhouse car in NASCAR finished in the top 10 on Sunday which means all Bloomin' Onions are FREE on Monday...and I love FREE! Yes, they have a huge amount of calories but honestly, at the burn rate I'm at, it doesn't matter...I should know! :-) But I will give all the credit to my wife on this one. I egged her on a few too many times and she held ground. She insisted on making awesome meals at home and not partaking. Good for her...and good for me. (but now I'm salivating for a Bloomin' Onion and I know we're staying home tonight)
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| Today's run of 9 miles. Well...9.01. :-) |
But anyway, the running. (yes, that's the point of today's post) Doing well and at 56 miles after this morning's super foggy, muggy run. Today, I went out for 6 and "accidentally" did 9. I didn't pre-think the route at all nor did I check my mileage along the way so by one point, it only made sense to keep on running. (that sounded very Forrest Gump-like) When I went to bed last night, I told my wife "I just want to sleep in tomorrow. I don't want to run." Her response? "Just take the day off then double up or do two the next day." Me: "But I committed to run every day a minimum of 6 miles." To whom, you ask? I guess to you! Or to myself, I suppose. Regardless, I'm a man of my word and when I commit to do something, I do it. Period. So I did. Yesterday, I was not happy when I got up. Mentally undone and not wanting to breathe, much less run. In both instances, I wasn't thrilled about heading out and my legs "felt" a little sore...but were they? I'd argue that my mind was messing with me. I was fine and ended up running quite strong. Today, I only wore my Garmin because I ran a totally new route that changed as I ran. Zero plan...just ran. When I got home, my pace read a modest 8:52 per mile...and that was comfy. I wasn't pushing at all and not slacking either. I was happy to see that because it makes my goal-driven mind wonder what could I do if I trained to race? If this is easy then what could I run a half marathon in, for example? Anyway, my legs felt fresh today and the "soreness" was nothing more than a lie. It was more of my mental funk (and probably lack of lengthy sleep) getting in the way of how well my body is doing in this challenge. So the lesson learned during these first 5 days?
Just run. Deny every excuse that attempts to derail you. Lace up and get out there. You CAN do it so make the decision that nothing will stop you. (outside of injury, of course.)
Here was yesterday's 10 miler at sunrise around Mile 6. It was a beautiful morning and the birds were singing loud, too. Beautiful, isn't it?
So, I've got 5 days to go and I will not fail. 44 miles to go and I'm looking forward to a nice long run either tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday...or a combination of a few. :-) Gotta remember..."Run Happy." Otherwise, there's no point. Ironically, we may not always head out "running happy" but by the time we get home, a little "Run Happy" somehow sneaks in there and thereby makes our day a little brighter.
Run Happy, friends!
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