On the Run Again

Well, here we are again! The last two weeks in Japan FLEW by and I only got about half my runs in. The first week in August I spent at my grandparents' house in Upper Michigan. I ran and my parents biked beside. Then I was off to England to see the sights and my love. Unfortunately while I was there I got some kind of horrible stomach bug and didn't run at all during the two weeks.

I got off the plane Saturday the 21st and the 22nd I was on the run again, completing a 12-mile long run. At first I was terribly discouraged because I was completing my miles in double the time it usually takes me but then I realized I was reading the trail map wrong and I was actually running a two-mile course! So no worries there :)

Lately I've been having trouble getting up early and running. In Japan it was my only option because the humidity at any other time of the day was horrible. But back home in Chicagoland it's cooling down nicely so I don't have the same motivation to get up early. I've been running about half the time in the morning and half the time in the evening.

My run yesterday was a really nice 5-mile run. I decided to try out some of the mental techniques in the book. I modified one: using the alphabet, think of characteristics that make me a good runner. It was really motivating! When the hills started slowing me down I just said anything that came to mind as quickly as I could. "Optimistic, Ready, Not-intimidated, Strong..."

I started having stomach cramps (I'm pretty sure they're stress related) and was about to stop and walk the last mile but I just wanted to run. I just needed to feel confident that I can do this. So I started yet another mantra, "No fear, no pain, just legs." With this I just tried to shut off all doubt and pain so I could finish my run.

And I did.

I've modified the schedule again. My last long run was 12 miles. I'm scheduled to run an 18-mile this week but after reading some marathon tips in Runner's World "Complete Book of Running" I've decided to be cautious to make sure I stay healthy for race day. This week I'll run a 16-mile and next week I'll run an 18-mile. That means I'll only have one 18-mile under my belt before the marathon but that should be fine. At this stage I know my body is ready. What I need to focus on is training my mind.

Let's Running!

I Am: MARATHONER

Scheduled: 5 Actual: 5 RPE: 2-3

I may have finally hit my stride. In week six, but better late than never!

Pouring again. Could barely get myself out of bed because I really didn't want to run in the rain AGAIN. I was grumpy and very discouraged in my first mile. I wanted to quit. Not just the run but the whole silly thing. A marathon?! What am I thinking?!

I don't remember exactly why or what I thought but I decided to just keep running. And I finished the run. Smiling through the last two miles. I sincerely enjoyed this run. I had to will myself to begin each mile (I stopped for a drink every mile) but once I was going, I was going!

Non-Runner's Trainer asks that we compose a positive self-talk paragraph to use when we're discouraged and throughout the day as a reminder of what we can do. who we are. Here's mine:

I am a marathoner. Impossible is nothing. I can run as long as I need to. I'm getting stronger every step. Impossible is NOTHING. I am a marathoner.

Today I just used "I am a marathoner" and at the same time (like last Friday's run) I told myself, "Just keep running." In order to keep better time with my steps I shortened it to, "I am: Marathoner." It's super silly, but it made me feel like a super hero. As if that is my identity and my super-power is running :)

Tomorrow I will run, rain or shine. And I will probably enjoy it.

Let's Running.

Downpours and Thunder and Lightning, Oh My!

Scheduled: 4 Actual: 1 RPE: 3

Though I only ran a mile, today was one of my best training runs ever. It was POURING rain. Not even my crazy, meddling neighbor was out strolling and rain usually doesn't stop her. I had plans to call Jordan after my run because it's been ages since our schedules worked out to chat and part of me thought, "Meh, why not skip the run altogether. You don't have time to finish it anyway." And as soon as I thought that I immediately said, "No way!" I'm no longer running just because I have to run to complete my marathon in September. I'm running because I like it! I like starting my day off running.

For half of my route I ran next to rice paddies and the sound of rain hitting the shallow water that the rice plants sit in is a very pretty and peaceful sound. I'm glad I got to hear that. Also, since it was pouring it wasn't humid and the run was almost pleasant (minus my soggy, spongy shoes). But thunder and lightning started during my first mile and so I decided to call it a day.

This week in Non-Runner's Trainer they emphasize the importance of self-talk and how what we say about ourselves becomes our perception about ourselves. Though this is my first experience with endurance sports, I am very familiar with the power of positive self-talk.

When I was 15-years-old my older brother died by suicide. About a year later I was taking anti-depressants and in counseling. Since then I have seen more than six different therapists, the most recent being about five years ago (I also stopped taking the medication at about this time). In a session in those dark first months the therapist asked me to compile a list of things I liked about myself. She had to help me with every single one and when I looked back on the list I realized they were all things concerning other people ("I'm kind" "I like to volunteer") and none just about me ("I'm beautiful" "I'm smart").

Whenever I 'd look in a mirror I always thought and said horrible things about myself. My negativity about my appearance had started to erode what I thought about my personality. So, I started arguments with myself. My first thought would be, "You are so ugly" but as soon as I said that I'd counter it and say, "No! You are very beautiful, Claire." It wasn't too long before I only said the positive thing and even to this day I smile at myself in mirrors, almost involuntarily.

This week's reading reminded me of this process. Much like how recovered drug-addicts are still technically addicts, I am someone who has recovered from depression, not someone cured of any traces of what once was a lifestyle. I need to always remind myself how wonderful I am, how I can run these training miles, and how I will run that marathon. It's not just a good idea, it's vital to my success. And I intend to succeed.

So, Let's Running!

A Birthday Run

Scheduled: 10 Actual: 7 RPE: 7-8

I'm 24 today! I welcomed the day at 5:00 to run my ten miles (perhaps an unrealistic goal given that last week I only ran 5 miles on my long run).

I passed my neighbor, Ms. Meddler and she said "mo chotto na" which means "a little more/a little longer/a bit more again" but given that we hadn't been talking about anything it really meant: "I'm trying to trap you into chatting with me again." But it's my birthday and I wanted to try my hardest to run as many miles as I could so I smiled, gave a little nod, and said "na" which is a really lazy way of saying "That's right" and went on my way.

It felt WONDERFUL!

I decided to walk the first mile since it helped warm me up so well on my run Wednesday. I hardly had cramps during my second mile and no leg cramps in any of the following miles. I think an alternative could also be a really slow jog to warm me up.

It was terribly hot and humid and I was sweating through all my clothes. I have never sweat that much in my life! I stopped after each mile and drank a little sports drink. And I kept running.

In my previous long runs I've had a side cramp and I assumed it was from too much water so I cut back. After reading the chapter on hydration I decided that was a dumb plan. I got the cramp again this run but as I drank more it went away.

I've decided to cut back my day 4 schedule. I'm too far behind and the leap from what I have done to what I am scheduled to do psyches me out too much. Also, this humidity is killer and I need to take that into account. I'm going to increase my long run by a mile every week and then when I get home I'll up it by 2 or 3 miles every week and get back on track to where I'm running the longest runs (18 miles) with the program.

This week the chapter was on visualization as a mental technique. For me, this will take quite a lot of practice. I am a words person predominately. We are asked at this stage to create two mental "video tapes" of our best training run and of what it will feel like to cross the finish line on marathon day. I meant to create the first tape for myself before my long run but I simply ran out of time. I decided to start with words that described my first 7-mile run and work on mental images at a later stage.

"The cool breeze refreshing me, making every step lighter, every step smoother." I've realized through this training how much my tendency to over-analyze things can get in the way of giving an honest go of something. My first year of college I took a class that gave an overview of Eastern religions. A Buddhist mantra that I still remember today is, "No thought, no mind." It's purpose is to emphasize the importance of experience, of living in the present and absorbing life. In order to make sure my visualization mantra above wasn't interrupted by unrelated thoughts I repeated, "no thought, no mind" in my head at the same time, forcing my mind to focus simply on running.

Heading out today I knew I wouldn't make all ten miles because of the time but I wanted to make sure I gave it an honest effort. I messaged both Stephen and Jordan about my run in order to motivate me to run as much as I could so that I could proudly report back to them later. In previous long runs I've walked several miles but barely run the rest. I decided I would run some of every mile. It was a bit too hot to expect myself not to walk at all but I wanted to know that I ran as much as I could until I had to stop. I felt amazing after the run!

I'm looking forward to next week when I increase the short and long runs.

Let's Running.

Total this Week: 17 miles Cumulative Total: 57 miles

Oh Hydration!

Scheduled: 3 Actual: 3 RPE: 4

My run took about 4 minutes today though that includes me walking all of my second mile. My last mile was incredible, though! I felt so loose and fluid. I'm considering walking the first mile or maybe half-mile of each run to see if that will warm me up and make my subsequent miles quicker and more enjoyable.

Also, it was relatively cool this morning which is so much more pleasant. I repeated my "only one" mantra as well as "keep going" to help will myself to run.

This week's chapter discusses hydration and recommends drinking sports drink directly before, during, and a few hours after each run. I tried that today. I brought sports drink to school and drank the bottle during the morning meeting. Unlike all the other running days previous to today I had no headache and no fatigue. Oh hydration! Where have you been? I've been drinking water like crazy but still I'd get terrible headaches and fatigue come afternoon. It was hard to tell if it was just the heat or my running that was causing the problems. Now I know.

Looking forward to Friday's run again.

Let's Running!

I Do What I Want :)

Scheduled: 5 Actual: 4 RPE: 4-5

Hot and humid again today. (Just keep running, running. running). A really good run, though. I keep forgetting I skipped one of the miles because mentally and physically I felt so wonderful during and after the run.

I was getting a discouraged because about week three the Non-Runner's Trainer mentioned that we're probably not sore or experiencing much pain at that point. I was! I was sore after and during the runs. I felt like I was doing something wrong. And again this week it mentioned that although we probably haven't had to use mental techniques up until now we will on the long runs. WHAT?! Even this far into training, even on the 3-mile runs, if I let my mind wander I easily give up (i.e. yesterday's run).

But as I was thinking about this run yesterday something my brother says came to mind. "I do what I want!" When he says it he means it sarcastically and with a little self-deprecation. If he leaves dishes in the basement, for example, and my mom hassles him for the second day he picks them up but adds, "I do what I want!" I like it. I like him. He's funny. So what if this book tells me I shouldn't need the mental techniques! I do. I am not strong because I can do anything with no effort. I am strong because even though it takes great effort I still do it. I still run.

I walked half and ran half, more or less. I repeated "Only one (mile)." I can't run 5 miles. I run each mile, each step. And that's what I tried to remind myself. Again, I ran out of time to complete the miles but it felt great to just focus on what I was doing right then.

I got the idea for the mantra from something in my book (yes, there's still lots of good stuff in here despite my previous complaints). One of the authors included an excerpt from her running journal: There was a time when I couldn't have imagined doing one mile; now I'm saying, "ONLY one mile." It's shocking to hear yourself define as "only" what you used to think would kill you.

What doesn't kill you...

Let's Running.

A Smile is My Mantra

Schedule: 7 Actual: 7 RPE: 4

Oh wow! I had a fantastic run today! For the first time in my training, I can picture myself running and completing a marathon.

I took my phone with me but didn't keep track of the minutes per mile; I was just focusing on running. I ran an average of 11-minute miles but I know my first two miles were about 15 minutes each. I walked a few minutes to start and end my first mile. I had leg cramps as usual and stretched them several times.

I was getting myself so worked up about this run since I'd never run this many miles before. So I decided to mentally separate the run into an 3-mile and 4-mile run. I stopped for a drink at 3 miles and then carried on, telling myself that I've run 4 miles plenty of times so it doesn't matter.

At about 4 miles I hit my stride, and maybe my endorphins hit me. I think long-distance running is a good match for me. I've always struggled with keeping a workout routine and I think I now know why: I need to be working out for over an hour before I get that endorphin surge that motivates your next workout. However most workout routines last only 30 minutes.

On my ride home Thursday I was thinking to myself about my time playing softball and how exhausted and sweaty and sore I would get doing that. For the first two weeks of training each season I took ibuprofen twice a day and I was 14 years old! That helped me feel better about the aches and pains I have and about the fact that I can keep going through the pain. I've done it before. And I got stronger because of the pain. So I'll do it again.

Today, my smile was my mantra! I went to bed telling myself, "This long run is a great way to finish up the week" and woke up saying the same thing to myself (frankly I doubt there is any other way for me to get myself out of bed at 5:00 in the morning...). And that's what I told myself throughout my run. I didn't focus on too much but I also didn't let my mind wander too much. I just kept telling myself that this a perfect way to spend a Friday morning before work.

My last three miles were amazing. I smiled the whole time. I felt light and fast and strong. My muscles were loose and my breathing was more regular. The Non-Runner's Trainer reminded me to keep running the schedule, not to run more out of impatience. At the beginning of the week I thought, "Yeah right. No problem here!" But now I understand the struggle. This long run was such a positive experience there is a temptation to run this much each day. But I won't.

I was really tired after lunch and wasn't able to concentrate much. From now on I'll bring fresh fruit and juice to school Fridays so that I can have an energy boost in the afternoon.

Let's Running!

Total this Week: 17 Cumulative Total: 28

Oh Jeez!

Scheduled: 3 Actual: 3 RPE: 5-6

Walked two minutes to start and two minutes to end but otherwise ran the three miles. Wasn't my best mentally so I knew I couldn't slow down since my will wasn't there to pick me up again.

It was rainy on and off so I didn't bring my phone out with me. Probably a slow first mile again. Still feeling rusty. I averaged 14-minute miles though.

I love coming up with new mantras; I think it's the writer in me. Today's was, "I can, I will, I am." I used it almost the whole time except for a few moments when my mind wandered to unpleasant things. I'm coming to terms with leaving Japan, a place I've lived for two years, and my first real job. It's all a bit much to take in! I'm hoping that having running to focus on will help me expend some nervous energy but so far I've found plenty of time to be nervous despite my running schedule.

After my run I felt incredibly weak, light-headed. My back ached and chest felt tight. I think it was mostly anxiety related because it's cleared up throughout the day, but oh jeez it was difficult not to cry on my way to work!

I'm not sure if I'm eating too much or too little. I'm not sure if my appetite is related to my exercise or just all in my head. For breakfast I had aloe yogurt with granola, a bowl of cereal, and an English muffin with blueberry jam. Seems a bit much but I'm always hungry by lunch time. I think I better do some research.

I've got rest day tomorrow and then Friday morning I've got a 7-mile run to finish. I would be lying if I said I wasn't TERRIFIED.

But that's OK because I'll go out and run anyway.

Let's Running.

Reality Check

Scheduled: 4 Actual: 4 RPE: 4

The first mile is really a struggle for me. My body is still waking up and my mind is foggy. It probably doesn't help that half the time--or more!--I wake up to my alarm and mutter groggily to myself, "I really don't wanna do this." I'll keep working on that positive attitude. My body felt rusty; as I warmed up in that first mile I swear I heard myself creaking like the Tinman in Wizard of Oz. It was about a 17 minute mile.

Mile 2 and 3 were my best miles and I finished them in 12 minutes each. I walked about 3/4 of my last mile because of my leg cramps and finished in about 15 minutes. I think my mantra was off. Instead of just saying, "I am getting stronger" I said, "My calves are getting stronger." I think that was a mistake because it reminded me too much that my calves were cramping.

Now is time for a reality check. I have been really worried about how long my miles take. I know it's early in my training and maybe I'll get faster as I progress but I haven't had any improvement yet. I decided to calculate and see just how much trouble I was going to be in unless I didn't pick up the pace. Turns out, absolutely none! If I run an average of 12 minute miles over the course of 26.2 miles I will finish in about 5 hours, not 6 like I'm expecting. So I officially need to give myself a break and just enjoy my training.

Let's Running.

Day One of New Schedule=SUCCESS!

Scheduled: 3 miles Actual: 3 miles RPE: 5

First an update on my diet: I decided to cut out pop and french fries. I'd like to cut out all deep-fried foods but I know that if I set that rule I'd just want to break it because it seems too difficult. But by saying I won't eat fries I hope to make myself think twice before eating other deep-fried foods. I made breakfast for dinner Friday night but instead of hash browns I ate rice with my scrambled eggs and an English muffin with blueberry jam on the side. So far, so good.

It's still very humid and I started today's run pretty discouraged since I realized it'll be another three or four weeks before this humidity clears up a little. I ran and walked my first mile in 17 minutes. That's a new record for me...and not the good kind. My calf and shin muscles have been really cramped the last few runs and I think I've let that discourage me as well. I stretched half-way through my 17-minute mile but it didn't help too much. As I was getting to my house (the one-mile marker) I decided that instead of stopping like I normally do and having to will myself to start again I would just run through onto my second mile.

My legs were still cramped. My whole run I felt like I was on one of those tracks at airports that are like escalators just flat. Only that I was going the wrong way!

But I decided I was going to finish this run, run all the miles, and start week three off right. So I kept my eyes on the ground a few feet in front of me and repeated, "My legs are really sore but that's OK because that means I'm getting stronger." Eventually I shortened it to, "I'm getting stronger" and timed it with my breathing: IN IN-OUT OUT-IN IN. "I am/ get-ting/stron-ger."

And that's how I ran two solid miles without stopping. My leg cramps worked themselves out with about a half-mile to go but that's OK because I finished my run regardless.

Let's Running.

Getting Out of Bed is the Hardest Step

Scheduled: 3 miles Actual: 3 miles! RPE: 5

I skipped my planned Thursday morning run because I refused to get out of bed. It's been a pretty mild week as far as weather and classes go so I figured I'd have energy to run after work. Boy was that a bad plan! It ended up being very hot Thursday and I was exhausted by the time I got home. There is no air-conditioning at work and sweating profusely for 8 hours a day really takes it out of me. So, instead of running I took a nap.

That threw my schedule out of whack because for my long run I'm supposed to have a day off before and after for recovery. But I decided skipping a run wasn't a good idea and went ahead with a morning run today. For some reason I had a ton of really stressful dreams and so when my alarm went off I was more than ready to get out of bed.

It was sprinkling a little so I didn't take my cell phone on this run like I usually do. I only know that I averaged about 15 minutes per mile. It was really humid like it was Tuesday and so I slowed down my already slow pace (at this stage I could probably hop these miles on one foot as fast as I'm running them).

I didn't use any mantras. I was happy to be out there running so I didn't need to focus my mind like usual. I thought about the marathon and my training routes when I get back home. I am concerned about the lack of hills in my current route and want to make sure that at least my routes back home will have hills if I can't--ironically--find them in my town in Japan. My thoughts wandered a bit but I tried to at least focus on aspects of running.

It's Another Day :)

As I expected, today was markedly better than yesterday!

I ran the scheduled 4 miles and my RPE was 4 again. My first mile was the toughest as my body was adjusting to running but my second mile was fantastic and felt like it was over in the blink of an eye (actually it was over in 12 minutes...). I got a late start again so I really pushed myself on my fourth mile in order to get home and ready for work. My average time was a little less than 13 minutes per mile with a couple minutes of walking in each.

My mind wandered a lot. I imagine conversations with people about my running, especially people I know who are runners. I definitely get a lot of motivation from other people and even the thought of a conversation really encouraged my running.

I have a new adaptation to the mantra "but it doesn't matter." After my awful run Tuesday and my bike ride to school in the rain, I sent a message to Stephen saying I was feeling anxious. He sent a message back listing all things that were probably making me anxious, adding "but that OK because" and ending with something that made it seem fine. For example, he wrote: "You're probably anxious because you didn't run as much as you wanted but that's OK because your training is going great." For this run I adopted that mantra. It gels with my disposition that's always looking to make lemonade out of lemons.

I'm really tired but that's OK because that means my body is getting stronger. It's getting really hot and humid but that's OK because I get to take cool, refreshing showers after my runs.

So, I guess, Let's Running.

You Win Some...

...you lose some. Badly.

Today's run was dreadful. I was exhausted from a fitful sleep and my muscles are still a bit sore from Sunday's long run. It's the rainy season now which means intense humidity followed by deluges. Hence the fitful sleep. Nights have been cool up until now but last night it felt as if the temperature was rising, instead of falling, throughout the night.

It was 74 degrees F. It felt like at least 85.I woke up late but thought I'd still have time to run the three miles.Not exactly. I was able to do two miles. Despite the short distance my RPE for today was 6.

I probably could have crawled the miles faster than I was running them. I tried to repeat "I'm doing this for me" and "It's terribly hot but it doesn't matter" ("but it doesn't matter" is a sentence pattern The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer recommended we adopt for any negative thoughts that float into our mind). This brought me some relief but not much.

I walked about 3 minutes each mile. I completed the first mile in 16 minutes and the second one in 15 minutes. Non-Runner's Marathon suggests not to time your runs since the whole goal of this program is finishing, regardless of time. But since I run in the mornings I need an idea of how long I take so I can allot enough time (something I failed to do today). Also I'm planning a trip to England in August to visit Stephen and his family and want to keep up my training during the trip. However, I'm not going to bother mapping out runs in all the different places I'll be traveling so I want to be able to approximate by time spent running.

Tomorrow is a new day. Today's struggles don't matter. I'll go out and run.

Let's Running!

Week One=FINISHED!

Whoa. I just completed my first week of marathon training. That's four more days of running than I thought I was capable of!

After a lovely day in Osaka/Kobe me and my lovely boyfriend, Stephen, got back to Oku and immediately fell asleep at 10:30pm. We got up at 3:00am to watch the England vs. USA World Cup match. Due to a heart-breaking (for England fans!) error by the goalie Green it was 1-1.

USA! USA! USA!

After the game at 5:30am I went shopping at the 24-hour supermarket near my home. My intention was to then run so that I didn't have run in the summer heat. But it was lightly raining and cool so I went back to bed for another three hours. I woke up to rain. Real rain, not light rain.

Damn, I thought.

And then I went running. After thinking about my previous three runs and reading accounts of other first time marathoners in The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer I decided I had been going too easy on myself. On Friday I decided I would run all 5 miles without walking.

Mile 1: running 12 minutes. Mile 2: running 14 minutes. Mile 3: running 12 minutes. Mile 4: running 13 minutes. Mile 5: running 12 minutes.

When I'm strongest and most focused I run a mile in about 12 minutes. Hmm.

My first mile I let my mind wander; it seems that the novelty of running a first mile is enough to propel me with minimal effort. The second mile I was focusing on the pain in my ankles and knees and hips and this negativity really shows in my performance! By the third mile I realized I needed a mantra or I wasn't gonna make it. Focusing on how hard running is wasn't cutting it, believe it or not.

"Claire's doing this for her. You're doing this for you. I'm doing this for me."

And that's how I passed three miles. Sometimes I just used it to focus my breathing and strides. Other times I thought about different times other people or I would say each sentence. I felt strong.

I took a water break every two miles and a couple breaks per mile to stretch.

My RPE was 4 again. All the additional effort today was mental effort, just to keep going. It amazes me how tough my body is but how weak my will is. I always assumed it'd be the other way around. I thought my mind was pretty tough!

This week I ran 15 miles total. Whoa.

Let's Running.

3 Sleepy Miles in a Sleepy Town

It's Thursday. I am always exhausted by Thursday. I work at a junior high school. No explanation needed, probably. But not only is this Thursday, it's a Thursday in a week that has had me up about an hour earlier than usual.

My alarm buzzed. I wanted to kill it. I am unfriendly at 6:00AM. Probably just as well it's only me and Godzilla the spider who's taken up residence in my shower.

Miraculously, I was out of the house at 6:20AM to start my 3 miles. And my miraculously of course I mean that I chatted with myself, "Just get up, Claire. Just tie your shoes, Claire. Just fill up the water bottle, Claire." Sometimes "just" is a limiting, unimaginative word. In this case, I want limits, though. I want to convince myself that difficult things are really just little things.

Little things like my town. Oh Oku! In bed by 9:00 and up no earlier than 7:00. Even the traffic lights believe in this routine. Yesterday when I was out past the magic morning time I had to wait at crossings because the lights turn on at 7:00AM. Curious to know when they go off.

Today my body wasn't weak but my mind was so so sleepy. I think it's clear this training is going to be about my mind's endurance as much as my muscles'. Despite the sleepy mind I was able to run all three miles in the same time: 13 minutes running and 4 walking. I didn't think I was that slow but I just checked my notes and, yes I am in fact that slow. For now.

Today was the first time I didn't stretch between miles. I just briefly stopped for sips of water. I completed my last mile saying, "Run because you have to."

After running I love stretching. It's so relieving. I'm addicted. Right now I stretch for about 5 minutes after my run but I imagine as my runs get longer I'll stretch for longer too. I'm looking forward to that!

Let's Running.

My First 4-Mile Run :)

I woke up later than I wanted to and stared my run at 6:12AM.

I focused on consistency because my run yesterday was so undisciplined. Mile one and two I ran 10 and walked 3 minutes. Mile three I slowed down quite a bit. I was focusing on the fact that I had to run yet another mile and it was getting late so I knew I'd have to rush to make it to work on time. It's amazing because I'd think something like running, something we do as children without thinking, something we've been doing for as long as we've been we, wouldn't take much concentration. But it does!

After a sloppy mile of 8 minutes walking and 7 running I realized I needed to pick it up on my last mile to get back to my house in time to stretch, shower, and eat breakfast. I considered shortening it or skipping it altogether but then I remembered one of my simple mantras, "Run because you have to." I ran 9 and walked 2 minutes. By then the sun had peeked out from the clouds and I was panting and sweaty. A vision into my last weeks in Japan!

Mentally, today was bit more tough since I had to convince myself to keep running that last mile. But physically it was more or less as difficult as yesterday so my RPE was 4 today as well. My last mile felt very smooth, a great pace and stride. Probably because I knew it was my last :)

My legs were sore and weak directly after but throughout the day I didn't notice any pain. My toes on my right foot have been tender all day. Like blisters just without the blisters. I should watch out. That would be so uncomfortable!

Mostly my mind wandered today to thoughts of my fast-approaching homecoming which passed the time. I want to try to be present in my training, to focus. There's a balance though, I think.

Let's Running.