The Loop

The countdown to my restart of the 10k Running Room program is on... and scaring the CRAP out of me! The program, which I had initially began back last fall, post-injuries, it touted as the "hardest of all the running room programs". Harder than the half marathon people. I think I may have lost my mind. After restarting running  from scratch a little over 2 months ago, I am super intimidated to run with the likes of those I was attempting to run with last fall... when I had been running steady for 6 months and had 3 races under my belt. You see, the group I ran with for a couple of weeks (until I hurt myself and couldn't) seemed fast. The SLOWEST person, was ALWAYS ahead of me and I had a regular one-on-one run with the manager of the store because they didn't want to leave anyone behind. Sounds great right? Well... yes... but also a MAJOR blow to any confidence you have about your abilities as a "runner". I'm the one who keeps people back. I'm the one who "brings up the rear". I'm the one who has to take the short cuts back to the store so we can still get back at a decent time. Sigh.

I know these comments are all in my head. I know the instructors are there because they WANT to be. They want to help out people like me to achieve what they might deem to be the unachievable. For most, these instructors are people who have run many races at many distances for many years and really; what seems like an excruciatingly difficult challenging run for us, is just a fun run for them.

BUT, without knowing which type of running group I will meet on Friday, it feels scary. And I feel anxious.

The first run out with them is going to be a 3k - and shouldn't be too tough regardless. But the Sunday run is pegged to be a 5k - a distance I have yet to accomplish since injury.

So today, on the day before our (fingers and toes crossed!!!!!) last winter storm hits, I decided to run the parliament loop to see how well I could do. The loop is 4.67km in total so I made sure my walk to Wellington was my warm up so that I could start my run once I got in front of the Supreme Court Building.

I am not going to lie, the run it self was less than stellar. I felt slow... like I was running in molasses, and the wind seemed to change so that it was pushing back against me no matter which turn I took, but although I had many7 opportunities to quit early, I didn't. I completed the run in less than 37 minutes of intervals - and that is including the 4 minute walk up a hill post Alexandra Bridge on the way towards the N.A.G.

I thought of turning back at the end of Portage Bridge, I thought of going down to Rideau Centre and hopping a bus back to my end of town and then I thought of going down Elgin to catch the bus there and be able to finish the run on a downward slope. I did none of those. And once I had my daily bus stop at Bank and Wellington in my view, I just bore down and finished the run. I was determined to finish the whole loop. NO.CHEATING.

I have also made a running date for Wednesday to do the loop again. On Friday, I will suck it up and head to Westboro for day 1 of the RR program and be proud of all I have accomplished in the last 2 months. Sunday, I had a date with a friend (hopefully 2) in Aylmer to run another 5 k as per the RR program.

As it stands, I am less than 6 weeks from my first run of 2013. Lets see how much I can push it until then!

:)