6.5 miles at 6:30 pm. Easy. Didn't look at my watch until I finished. Funny how easy running in the 8's is to me now. Could be the cooler weather... could be that I'm more fit.
Splits (8:32, 8:25, 8:38, 8:35, 8:32, 8:22, 7:53 pace for last .5 mile)
The last several days I have hated running in the dark and cold. Today I decided to get over it and stop complaining. I decided to tell myself that I like it this way. Maybe I can brainwash myself? It seemed to work somewhat. I think there's something to this positive thinking thing.
The thing is... there's always some reason NOT to run... If I didn't run every time my mind came up with a "reason", I would never run. They aren't really reasons, actually, they're just excuses. It's always better to run. I have never finished a run and wished that I hadn't run. OTOH when I have skipped a run, I have wished I hadn't skipped. I like Nike's slogan, "Just Do It." I say that to myself all the time. That, and "Don't be a wimp!"
So in tonight's run, I got to put some of that to use. I had stomach cramps that started at the end of mile 5. I could have taken the short cut home and finish in 1/2 mile but I decided to not wimp out and go the long way home. I think the stomach cramp was because I cooked dinner before I left and I was sampling while I was cooking. Usually, I do better in the evenings if I don't eat right before I run. Anyways... Since the positive thinking thing was working for the dark and cold, I just decided to tell myself the cramping was not a big deal. I decided to speed up and see if that helped... worth a try. In the marathon, I was surprised that speeding up helped a leg cramp! Speeding up is not the most intuitive thing to do when you have some kind of cramping pain... but I'm finding out that sometimes it works. Tonight I found that it at least lessened the pain. I'm thinking speeding up helps me to relax, focus, restore my breathing and form, and increases my oxygen intake. | 