I'm a Perfect 10!!!

I did it! I ran 10 solid miles this morning!! I even felt good and didn't need CPR when done! To say I'm proud of myself would be HUGE understatement.

The run itself was pretty uneventful, thankfully there was nothing major to report about it, besides the fact that I got it done. Since my last couple of runs have been less than great, I was extremely nervous about this mornings 10. I couldn't imagine being able to run TEN MILES. At once. Without stopping. Without cramping. Without crying. Without being hospitalized.

It took me awhile to get to sleep last night but I forced myself because I knew I would need to be well rested and full of energy. I woke up at 5:45am, hit snooze and slept 'til a little after 6am. I woke up and forced myself to eat a plain bagel with honey peanut butter, a huge glass of water, and a banana. It's hard for me to eat first thing in the morning, especially peanut butter, but I got it down and I actually felt better. After I was dressed, I enjoyed a cup of coffee while giving myself a pep talk.

Why do I always get so nervous before a big run? Even though this wasn't any kind of race I was still super keyed up and I just wanted to get it started so that I could feel better. So much anticipation had my stomach in knots and I wasn't feeling that great. Then I realized I felt better if I just told myself, "Make it to 5. then go for 7, then go for 9. Once you're at 9 you're practically home free." This strategy helped a lot and I was able to fool myself into thinking that 10 was really only 5, 7, 9. Hey, sometimes these mind games really help and I'll take whatever works!

I dropped the kids off with their dad and headed to the gym. I stretched and drank a few sips of water and warmed up with a little bit of walking. It didn't take much before I was rearin' to go. I started running, paced myself slow and told myself I was in for the long haul. Luckily my music didn't get boring to me, and there was actually some good stuff on TV that interested me enough to watch. On Home and Garden TV a marathon of My First Place was on so I watched that. I've gotten very good at being able to run on the treadmill and watch TV while being able to read subtitles, which kills a lot of time if there is something good on.

I'm trying to learn how to drink water while running, something I didn't think I'd have to "learn" how to do, but I'm getting used to it, which is important since I'm super sensitive to nausea when I get dehydrated. Luckily I haven't gotten nauseated in a long time, so I must be taking in enough water, which makes me happy. When I hit mile 5 I was feeling great, no show of slowing down, but I went ahead and had a GU Gel so that I wouldn't dip in my energy. Fantastic choice because it gave me an awesome boost that carried me through miles 6-8 with ease.

My legs started hurting around mile 7, but they did last week on my 8 mile run so I knew I could push through it, which is exactly what I did. When I hit mile 8 I felt great knowing that this was the longest run I've ever done at one time. I felt energized, my breathing was good, and I knew I was going to take it to 10. Not a single doubt in my mind. My hips and back started to ache slightly at 8.5 and lasted all the way to 10, but I knew I had good form so I just kept telling myself I was almost done, just get through it.

I made it and still felt great. I didn't collapse or throw myself off the treadmill. I slowed down and walked it out for quite awhile because I was worried about my legs cramping. I drank the rest of my water, ate the ice and toweled myself off.

When I walked to my car I still felt great and was surprised at how good the entire 10 went. It was at that time that I realized that the half marathon was definitely something I could complete. I knew that if I made it to 10, then I would be able to do 13.1. I still have 5 weeks of training and know I'll be nice and strong for Chicago by then.

I'm pretty freakin' stoked that I was able to do 10. So stoked that I don't even care that I'm using the word STOKED. I've earned the rights to use it, ha ha. (If you haven't earned it and you use the word, I'm more than likely to think of you as a tool!)

I've worked hard for this goal of 10 and have put in a lot of dedication to make this happen, to make my mind and my body healthy and stronger. Today completes week 5 of training and I've logged in 21 miles of running this week. Next week starts week 6 and I'll be logging in a total of 24.

Damn. I'm close to being one of those REAL runners! Who knew?!