Yesterday, I ran 18 miles. It was the most challenging run I’ve had this year. Every mile was a struggle both mentally and physically.
Not to state the obvious, but 2 hours and thirty-four minutes of trying to get my mind and body to cooperate took a whole lot of mind games and one amazing running buddy.
Here’s how I managed to make it through that suffer-fest of a run.
1. I had Lora by my side.
2. I set small goals throughout the run. I chanted my goal of the moment over and over again in my head: get to the Intrepid, get to the Intrepid… 22 blocks, 22 blocks, 22 BLOCKS until it was reached. When I was completely losing my mind and thought about hailing I cab, I chanted outloud to Lora also (sorry, LV!)
3. I acknowledged the fact that I was uncomfortable in more ways than one but that didn’t mean I had to give up on this run. Being comfortable during a run will not earn a BQ or a PR.
4. I fought for it and refused to give up even if that meant taking a few short stretch/water breaks along the way. I stayed focused on the fact that I may feel that way on race day, and I needed to push through.
Ultimately, if I had been running solo I would have ditched this run and called it a day around mile 6. Luckily, the run did feel a bit better during the last five miles than it did during the first ten. I still have a ways to go before I can feel confident about Run for the Red, but I think hard workouts such as this one are going to lead me to my ultimate goal.
Do tough runs make you feel more confident when you push through or do you feel discouraged?
Whether its a good run or a “bad run” I always feel better then I am able to get through it!
in all honesty, I usually just slow down! 🙂
I definitely am in the early stage of running, and feel confident when I get through a tough run (and by “Tough” I mean 45 minutes of flat running…haha).
Good for you Jess, great tips for the new runner (and those who aren’t!)
I feel like those kinds of tough runs make me feel discouraged while I’m in the middle of them, but after I finish, I feel good about pushing myself and slogging through. Also, 18 miles is 18 miles – even if it was a hard way to do it, they count towards your training.
I love setting small little goals throughout my long runs—- When I run my 20 mile runs, I just focus on 4 five mile intervals and it’s incredible what a difference that makes for me! Congrats for pushing through it!!