Six Reasons Yesterday’s Run Was Great (And Three Reasons it Was Terrible)

For the first time in over a week, I made it out for a run on the Boulevard.  Last week, I was still recovering from Boldrdash and only made it two miles.  Every step strained my hamstrings.  But I was there and committed to two miles.

Because my Mindfulness class talks a lot about perspective and active seeing, I intentionally chose to find twice as many positives as negatives.

Six Reasons it Was Great:

1. The weather was perfect!  It wasn’t too warm or cool.  It was cloudy enough that I didn’t need my sunglasses.
2. It is a beautiful time of year!  We’re at the sweet spot of New England between summer and fall.  Flowers are still blooming, but the leaves are starting to change color.
3. I met my preset goal.  I wanted to pace in the 12’s.  12:59 pace is in the 12’s!
4. I felt so much better after!  Yesterday’s session gave me much-needed time to think and clear my head.
5. Three miles no longer feels like a daunting task.  I can do it pretty easily.  There were a few times that my legs tired, but I easily convinced myself that I could keep going.
6. I am able to run.  This may seem overly simple, but too many people are physically unable to run or walk for various reasons.  I am thankful that my body is healthy enough to allow me to run and workout.

Three Reasons is Was Terrible

1. Allergies.  This is a big one.  Most of my adult life consists of a vicious cycle of me taking allergy meds until they work, assuming I no longer need them and not taking them, then suffering a few days later.  My eyes may have loved the summer/fall beauty, but my sinuses were not impressed.
2. I’m still not as fast as I’d like to be.  I made a lot of progress early on.  I’m not sure why I’m not getting any faster.  I think it may be a mental block; I slow down too quickly.  I need to find an app to track intervals that is also Spotify friendly.
3. I still can’t make it much further than three miles.  When I start BRG, the goal was to run a 5K.  I’ve done that many times now.  At the beginning of each run, I make myself promise to get over the three-mile hump, then stop when I reach that distance.  I have a four-mile race coming up; I want to run that distance a few times before doing it in a crowd.