January was our first month of the whole family getting back into running, some more willing than others. Jess had to stop because we wanted her to get her leg healed up. She is slowly starting to run again. Ryan and Noah are usually spotty about running, and, of course, are having to be forced to get out and do it. Mean parents I know. Cody has been running with me a lot, again, not because she wants to, but because I make her. She doesn’t complain anymore, but she isn’t exactly happy about it either. Since she has been running she has lost about 3 lbs., so that helps to get her out running with me. Chad has only missed one day of running and his runs are usually longer than ours, 4-8 miles a day.
Since I started running on January 1st, I have not missed a day yet. My shortest distance is a mile, which is the minimum you must run to be considered a streaker, and my longest distance is 4.04 miles. There are some “Aha!” moments that I have learned this go around about running. One, it is okay to focus on distance and not worry about speed. I am slow and I know it and as the years have progressed I have gotten even slower, going from an, almost, 10 minute mile to 13:30 mile. I embraced and lived by The Penguin’s mantra of “No need for speed”, which will make this next statement a bit odd. Even at a 13:30 mile I was still going too fast to be comfortable enough to finish the mile. I was killing myself to run it and just felt dead in the end and hated it every time I had to run. I didn’t feel like I was getting any better. Before practice one day Jim told me to slow down. He told me to focus on the distance and speed will come later. I listened to him and slowed down even more. When I ran near the house I would run at a slower pace and stop when I felt tired. I didn’t even pay attention to my Garmin and since I was running when it was dark I really couldn’t see it anyway. One day, I ran until I became tired and I had run four miles. Lately my knees have been bothering me so I have cut my mileage down to 1.25 miles. Since I have been keeping track of my mileage and time here is what I have found out. I was running a 12:30 mile that decreased to somewhere in the elevens and decreased more into the tens. Last night I ran a 9:58 mile. Not bad for someone who began this running adventure in the thirteens. And, I did it by focusing on going the distance and not worrying about my speed. Hmmm, I feel a Cake song coming on. Two, I CAN run in the cold and rain. Back home if it was cold or rainy I wouldn’t run. I mean who wants to be cold or wet, especially while having to run. I even said to Jessica’s coach, “You mean you expect us to run in the rain!” He laughed at me and said, “Of course!” I thought he had lost his mind. But, I bundle up head out into the cold and by the end of the run my neck gator and gloves have been shoved into pockets and my jacket unzipped because I am too hot. And as for the rain…I gripe before I leave the house and don’t even notice it while running. Okay, in Oklahoma, when it rains it pours. Here It is more like a misting or dripping, but you still finish your run wet. Three, hills schmills. Okay, I still don’t run hills. I purposefully make my routes as hill less as possible. Unfortunately, that is difficult to do here, so I still get some. And, it is totally unavoidable if you run the trails, which we do. I just go back to focusing on the distance and before I know it I have reached the top of the hill. That is not true. I know it and feel every step I take up that hill. But, I do try to focus on the distance and not worry about my speed (meaning I slow way down), and I really focus on that downhill coming my way! Love the downhill.
Okay, our distances for January:
Chad: 180.42
Tammy: 60.67
Cody: 35.13
Noah: 48.59
Ryan: 42.77
Jess: 26.3 that she marked down
Which leads me to this disclaimer. I did not put in all of the kids’ miles. I became lazy and February is even worse. I haven’t put any down. I will have to do better.
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