I had a blog post all ready to go about how running is nothing but a struggle these days for a lot of people. Mainly due to the heat and humidity we’ve been having in Nova Scotia (NB, PEI etc.). I’ve seen people posting their struggles: slower paces, running early before the sun rises, changing routes to avoid the sun, wanting to quit, and dealing with heat exhaustion. That last one was all on me and my own mistakes. My goodness it’s been HARD running. That is until last night. Oh, and I deleted that other post 😉
I had 8k on my training schedule. I lined up my babysitter {yes, I paid someone so I could just go run for an hour}. Before I laced up, I couldn’t figure out what to wear….tank top, t-shirt…really, would I need a long-sleeved shirt? Was it “that cold” outside?
I decided on a tank top (racer back) and shorts. No hydration pack, no GU’s. I laced up and just started running. The air was cool, the sun was not shining but the sky was full of grey clouds and there was a little sprinkle in the air.
As I hit my first 1km out of 8, I noticed 6:10 on my watch….a number I’ve not seen in a while! I figured I should slow down a bit as I was really wanting to run 9k for some reason.
I kept running and saw 5:57 for km #2. Woah bessie, slow down would ya! Then 6:10; 6:07; 6:02 at the 5km mark. Oh yeah, somewhere in there I decided to run 10k. At the turn around point, I just kept running and was feeling really good. I knew I had a long incline ahead of me and would slow down a bit.
6:17; 6:10; 6:05 – where were these numbers coming from? I was just running 6:30-6:45 the other day!I figured I would be close to a sub 60 10k and started pushing it around the 7k mark.
5:54 and then 5:32 – my fastest km this year and it started going up a good hill. I’ll be honest, I broke down in tears at the end of this run. I was a bit of a sobbing mess for a few minutes and was thankful it was getting dark outside, therefore that meant no one was out on my street.
As I composed myself, I started to cry again. WTF? Why was I crying? Seriously!!!! I didn’t fall down, I didn’t hurt, I didn’t hurt anyone else, so why was I crying?
Honestly, I think I was crying as I felt relief! Relief that I can run fast again after being injured for so long. Relief that I do still love to run. Relief that I’m not going to do so bad Sept 12th at my half marathon. Relief that I can push myself really hard and see results.
THAT RUN JUST FELT SO GOOD!
I may have not run a race last night. I may have not got my sub 60 10k last night but I felt like that run was SUCH A WIN for me after a hard 6-9 months of painful days with my hamstring and working hard to get stronger.
Thank you running……..this girl needed last night’s run.
Anyone else have a great run last night?
What’s your most recent “win/success” besides a personal best/record ?
Anna
Piper's Run 
I love those runs. I had two of those runs last week, and you know I didn’t set any PRs. But I’m so thankful for them every time!
Sometimes it’s not about the PR’s at all! It was a fantastic run, just what I needed!
Congratulations, girl! There’s nothing wrong with happy tears 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Yay!!!! I am so happy for you!!! That is such an amazing feeling. I’ve been running some good paces this summer but it doesn’t always feel good. On Tuesday night, I did a tempo run that felt good. Temps were cooler, and I felt better. I think you are going to have an awesome fall!
It WAS such an amazing feeling! Cooler temps are so lovely right now, I’m hoping they stick around for race day in two weeks!
I can totally relate. That always happens to me after a race, I can’t explain the feeling. But “it feels so good” sort of sums it up… way to go for pushing yourself!
I’ve had it happen last year during my training (late) and at a race too!
I LOVE that kind of run! I totally understand the paying someone so you can run, it can be hard to find time and also probably doesn’t help your motivation. Good job & enjoy the runners high!
Sometimes paying for a babysitter is worth the weight in gold! ha ha!
I know what you mean!! I have had a few really bad ones lately, then a great one, then a baddie. I was starting to question my sanity!! This week sucked with all the smoke and the poor air quality (um 16or 17 on a scale of 1 to 10 – ummm horrible). So, Yesterday, I packed up went for an initial hike, then a run! it wasn’t fast, it was mostly climbing – the downhill part was fun – but it sort of cleared my mind and totally gave me a reset!
Sorry to hear how hard it’s been for you. Are you in Alberta or BC? Glad you got to do some hiking and felt better.
Those are the best kind of runs!! I haven’t had one in awhile but I’m hopeful😃.
Hope it happens for you soon!
Congrats! It’s so awesome you were able to have such a good run just when you needed it! I feel like running works this way – when you are about to give up, you get a magical run that reminds you why you do it.
Ah man well done! It’s all about celebrating those victories. Bookmark this post for yourself next time you really don’t wanna drag your ass outta the house for a run, or you have a really shitty one. It’ll work wonders to motivate you!
Look at you! Love it!