7 Miles!!

Well, so much for trying to post every week - I'm doing my best!  Since my last post:

* I was scheduled for a 5-mile run on August 21st, but we had a pre-planned camping trip so I wasn't able to go with my group.  I did manage to get in about 4 miles along the coast on my own though.  There was a beautiful trail along the beach at Costanoa that was 3 miles, but I extended it to what I think was about 4 miles.  It was really beautiful - but hard!  It was the farthest I had every tried to run, plus there were parts with hills and parts on the sand along the beach.  But, I made it!  I was really proud of myself for going on my own - it was worth it!  As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures I took off of my iPhone, I will post them to my blog :-)

* I am continuing to struggle with fitting everything in right now.  Thursday track work outs have been completely blown off the last 3 weeks - getting Corey off to school in Kansas one week, working late the following week, back-to-school night last week.  It's really hard to find the time for everything - but I'm doing my best!  We'll see if I can get there this week (fingers crossed!).

* Did a 3.5 mile "run" up to the Stanford Dish on Agust 28th.  It was a lot harder than I thought and I think I was a little over-zealous on the hills.  I was a bit discouraged again - it seemed like I had felt really good and strong all week, then when I hit the hills on Saturday, I almost felt like it was my first day of training all over again!  I need to think about how to approach hills during the race.  The coaches did give us some good tips for running uphill, most importantly - don't worry about walking them!  If it conserves your energy for the rest of the race, that might be the best strategy.  We're doing the Dish again this Saturday - I'm going to try that approach and see how it goes.

* Ran 5 miles on my own at Sawyer Camp Trail at Crystal Springs on August 31st.  I was amazed that I pushed myself that far.  I was so happy at the end - I had ran the last 2 miles non-stop.  That was the farthest I had ever run without walking.  Progress!

* Ran 7 MILES with the group on Saturday, September 4th at Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay.  What a rush!  Except for one quick bathroom stop - I actually jogged the entire 7 miles!  I was so proud of myself - I wanted to shout it from the roof!  Me, the non-runner, non-athlete, actually ran 7 miles!!  Wow ... another milestone!

This Saturday we're in a "down" week in training, so we're not supposed to run any more than 4 miles.  I'm going to do the Dish again on Saturday, but need to try and fit in another 4 mile run before then.  Not sure when that will be!  The following week we'll be running 9 miles.  I'm actually kind of excited to see how I handle it!

If you haven't had a chance, please check out my website:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/nikesf10/jenzirbes

Thank you all for your continued support - I couldn't do this without you!

Jennifer