Running for Boston

It goes without saying that I'm saddened and horrified by what happened at the Boston Marathon, but I'll say it anyway. Having just run in a race of a similar size, merely two days before, made it hit closer to home. While I will self-deprecatingly tell anyone and everyone that "I'm really not a runner," I really have become a runner, and consider myself to be part of that community. My heart goes out to everyone that was at the marathon, specifically those that were injured due to the explosion. I have read many articles about the events, and about how to help. One really struck me - it said that we should all dedicate the next 26.2 miles we run to Boston, whether that's over the course of 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, etc. It will be much closer to 1 month for me, at the rate I run, but I think it's a great idea. Of course it's not directly helping anyone, but I think it's a good way to boost morale. By targeting an event like the Boston Marathon, one of the most prestigious running events in the world, runners everywhere need to rejoice in what they do everyday, and continue doing that.

Today I ran 2 miles out of my 26.2. It was my first run since the 10k - I took Tuesday off. I got to the gym with barely enough time to do the 2 miles I had planned before yoga class. I wanted a minimum of 15 minutes between so I could de-sweatify, and it worked out perfectly. I did the first mile at a nice pace - 10:20 min/mile. Then I decided to kick up the pace a bit for the second mile, since there was only time for one additional mile. Ended up doing it in 9:10 - not bad at all. The first half mile definitely hurt - my shins hurt for the first time since I've started running. I don't know if that's from going back and forth between the treadmill and outside, or what. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

The funny thing about my running, is that my pace on a treadmill is completely different from my pace outside. I would have thought that a treadmill would make me run faster, since the speed is set and I have to keep up with it. Turns out I'm close to a minute faster when I run outside. It definitely doesn't feel faster. The first time I ran outside for a long run, I was using runkeeper through my iphone to give me my pace. I set it so it would update me every half mile. I remember feeling like I was barely moving, being half afraid that the first update would tell me I was going at a 12:00 pace. Imagine my surprise when it told me I was going at a 9:45 pace. That seems to be my natural pace outside. 

Yoga was wonderful tonight. I was afraid that I would be too sore to enjoy it, from running and last night's workout. But it was exactly what I needed - it helped me stretch out my sore muscles. There's one exercise called "crow" that requires you to balance yourself on your hands, and I finally was able to do it! It makes me feel like I'm actually making some progress in yoga, that I'm not just the uncoordinated fat kid who keeps showing up haha. Now I just need to get a yoga towel. Joey got me a yoga mat for my birthday, which I absolutely LOVE, but it's just a teensy bit slippery. It's especially bad when I run right before class, since I'm starting out sweaty. 

Workout Summary:

2 miles, run in 19:36

Total on treadmill:

2.2 miles in 22:52

248 calories

Yoga - 1 hour

Running for Boston: 2/26.2