Today I finally ran 3.1 miles (5K)! I've been working towards it for a few weeks now, although you could say that I've really been working up to it over the last 3 years. When Gary and I started dating, I started running; we ran together. At first I was totally out of shape and couldn't go more than a quarter of a mile. I slowly worked my way up to a full mile at 6 mph, which is about as fast as I run a mile today. I ran my 5K today at 5 mph, which was hard enough; I'm going to start trying to increase my speed and see if I can eventually run a whole 5K at 6 mph instead. I guess it's not enough to accomplish a goal - I have to make a new one on top of it!
A few running tips:
1. Chew Gum. When you work out, you build up testosterone, which causes your mouth to salivate. When I run outside I spend half of the time spitting. If I'm chewing gum while I run, I don't need to spit, which is great, considering I am running indoors at the moment.
2. Breathe. Kind of goes without saying, but you really have to focus on breathing deeply and with the rhythm of your run. Breathing should come naturally, but the optimum way to breathe while running is totally unnatural. I try to breathe in once, deeply, and out twice. Kind of a step breathe step breathe breathe rhythm.
3. Stretch before and after. I forgot to today, and my legs are really, really sore.
4. Push yourself, but don't overwork yourself. Your body generally knows what it can do, but you may not; you can probably talk it into pushing beyond what you would expect, which is not a bad thing. I had to spend the last third of my run today convincing myself to just keep going. That being said, be smart; if you sprint in the Texas heat, you will vomit. Personal experience talking here.
This is my post-run sad face. I was so red and sweaty that people were staring at me on my way home.
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