I ran the Charlottesville Ten Miler, which didn’t seem that big of a deal at the time and in the aftermath, but when I think of my level of fitness a year ago, it’s absolutely amazing. In January I has set my goal pace as 10:30/mile but as I got closer to the race, my runs had been going well, so I thought I could make it ten minute miles. I ended up at 10:08/mile for my chip time. I’m pretty pumped.
In the last six months of training, my body felt like it has fallen apart due to the preceding ten years of no strenuous physical activity. As my runs started to get longer, everything on me felt loose, like my joints didn’t fit tightly together anymore. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. My mom likes to point out the long term wear and tear that your body endures when running, but given the history of heart disease in my family, I’ve decided that it’s a lot easier to get a new knee down the line than a new heart.
I would be remiss not to mention Ragged Mountain Running Shop. Their training program was awesome, and while it kind of sucked having to roll out of bed at eight in the morning, it’s much easier to push yourself on the long runs when you’re with a group. Definitely check it out if you’re interested in getting started.
I am impressed Noop. I only took 4 years off from doing anything physical and it has taken me over 4 months (and still counting) to feel strong again. Maybe I need to find a group of crazy runners to run with.