The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”
Tonight’s run was a good one. I think I am really moving on to another level of runner here. I am still literally miles away from the elite runner for sure. However, when I’m taking it really easy, I am finding myself at and around the 11-minute mile pace. At this time last year, taking it really easy meant it was taking me every bit of 15 minutes to finish a mile. Granted, I know many people who could walk a mile in 11 minutes, but for me that’s a pretty impressive “easy pace”.
So praise GOD for little improvements!!!!
Tonight, I had Chris drop me off at the corner like some really square, conservative, prudish, pepper spray carrying, running street walker in high visibility gear. Even he was aware of the comparison and insisted on dropping me off at the TGI-Friday’s parking lot and watching me as I walked to the corner. I started my music, then my RunKeeper and I was off.
Mile 1 was really nice, although I could feel that my form was off and for some reason, I couldn’t quite correct it. I ran through all the tricks that I know; lower the shoulders, tuck in the rear, straighten the spine, keep the jaw and fists loose, lightly plant with the heel and push off with the toe. Maybe I was over-thinking it because I don’t know that I ever got it right this time.
Mile 2 was uneventful. I was still trying to work on my form and keep my heart rate between 165 and 171, so I was working pretty hard. I had about 12 ounces of water with about 4 tablespoons of Chia Seeds before the run. I have been reading “Born to Run…” and the Tarahumara subsist on a diet of Pinole and Chia Seeds when they are running great distances. After doing a little research, I learned that the Chia Seeds are a great source of protein and they absorb 10 times their weight in water so consuming them guards against dehydration. The Pinole is a carb with natural sugars and is a great energy source. Anyway, I wanted to try using Chia Seeds on this run to see if I noticed a difference.
Mile 3 was good. I hadn’t quite resolved my form issues and I was feeling it in my lower back. I knew that was going to be trouble if I didn’t get home and stretch it out properly. I was heading back home, so it was matter of getting in that final kick. I was feeling good. No past injuries rearing their ugly heads to make me feel like a fitful sleep was imminent.
I got in a good 20 minutes of stretching after I got the kids’ dinner in the oven, then sat and read with Jordan for a little while. Then we all put on our footed pajamas and watched an episode of MythBusters before bed.
A good night. A good run. Zzzzz……..
As for the Chia Seeds. I did notice that I wasn't ravenously hungry after this run like I usually am. Also, even though I was sure to take in a good dose of water, I didn’t feel nearly as dehydrated as I normally do after a run of this length. When I’m running fewer than 6 miles, I tend to not take water with me so this was very nice. I will continue to use the Chia Seeds and letcha how it goes with a longer run.
Book Review – I am 43% of the way through “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” by Christopher McDougall. (Sorry, no page numbers on the Kindle). I am really enjoying this book. The runners in this book are amazing. Ridiculous some might call them. 100 mile foot races in blistering heat and dangerous topography is more than I would ever even hope to accomplish as a runner. Learning to love and embrace fatigue so you can meet it as a friend when it rears its head at the 77 mile mark is insane. Fatigue shows up early for me and we are *not* good friends!
I highly recommend this book. I’m not positive if someone who doesn’t run would appreciate it but for anyone who does run, it’s a must read. It’s nice to read about Deana Kastor, Dean Karnazes, Ryan Hall and many others before they were famous. Awesome book (so far, with portends of getting better). Truly amazing.
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