Double Digits

Today was my first run in two and a half years where my mileage broke into the double digits - 10.15 miles to be exact!

My good friend Laura is part of Gazelle's Summer Safari half-marathon training program, so she does long runs every Saturday with a group, increasing the mileage weekly to prepare for an October race. We have a friend's wedding in Manistee tomorrow, however, and she was worried about tackling her longest run yet all by herself!

My feet have been feeling pretty good lately, so I volunteered to run with her...keep in mind, the longest run I've done lately is five miles, but hey, what's another five? I reminded myself that there was a time in my life when I once said to Asa, "Ten miles is the perfect distance for a run." Plus, my usual long run pace is 10:30/mile, and Laura, being a very new runner, tries to stick to around 17:00/mile, so I knew I could walk if necessary.

We decided to go on the Bicentennial Trail in Portage for two reasons. First, we could get to the trail from my house, which is only 0.4 miles from the Milham entrance. Second, each of us has had three babies, and the availability of restrooms was an alluring perk.

Our friend Kate (in town from New Jersey to attend this wedding with us) joined us for the first hour of the run. To pass the time, we went grade by grade and shared stories and memories from our elementary school years. It was a fun thing to do, and it helped Laura make sure she was going the correct pace (for long runs, you should be able to keep up a conversation).

I had no problem jogging the ten miles at that pace aerobically speaking; as I said, I could walk at that pace. However, I really put myself at risk of injury by jogging so much slower than my natural pace. My gait was completely off, and though the slower pace theoretically should have allowed me to focus on good form running, I definitely didn't pay attention enough: my right knee, the last joint in my body to be injury free and functioning normally, was screaming right about mile nine. I'm back on my diet of ibuprofen, I'm icing it, and I'm crossing my fingers that it is temporary and not a sign of a bigger problem!

Previously, I had blogged about how when my podiatrist suggested I quit running, I started crying. Despite the knee pain, today was a great reminder of why his comment affected me so much. I loved the beautiful weather, the smiles and good mornings from passers-by (and an occasional round of applause - yup, that happened!), the cute doggies and kids and deer and turkeys and turtles and various other wildlife out on the trail, the smell of the fresh air, the overall sense of peace, and the ability to just be lost in yourself for awhile.

I'm SO incredibly proud and in awe of my friend Laura. A couple years ago, I don't think she would have believed she could run even a block, much less ten whole miles! She made a conscious decision to change her fitness level, no matter how hard it was, and look at what she did today!! The world would be an amazing place if everyone would take that chance and believe in themselves.