So, I’m standing at my kitchen bar, typing this, and I’m almost in tears.
This morning, I broke the five mile barrier.
As I mentioned on Monday, I really needed this week’s training to be awesome. The intimidation factor was high going into this morning: a 50 minute steady run (longest ever for me), on little sleep (I just couldn’t wind down last night) and nerves (because 50 minutes). I just really wasn’t sure how I was going to do this.
Especially how I was going to do it well.
Since Mr PugRunner got the first run on Monday, I got it today. I was up at 5:20, but waited til about 6:00 to head out. It was just a wee bit too dark for my liking sooner. I had a spoonful of peanut butter and a big glass of water about 20 minutes before lacing up.
And then? It was just me and the morning.
Well, and this turtle.
I did a lot of looping and doubling back in my neighborhood. Mr PugRunner had a 40 minute run this morning so I didn’t want to spend too much time walking back home so that he could get right out. It was nice to have a new-ish route, even if it meant repeating some streets and culdesacs.
For the most part, I felt great. I had a couple of new songs on my iTunes and I think they added that extra burst of something-something. I sang along in my head and it helped take my focus off the road, the time and the miles.
I wasn’t fast, but I don’t care.
This time, I didn’t have negative splits. At about the 25:00 mark, I almost lost my breakfast on the road. Not the best feeling in the world, and I set a 1:00 timer to walk it off. This came on a little earlier than usual (normally, the nausea hits at 30:00), but I was able to shake the queasy feeling and continue, even if it did slow me down in the middle of the run. I also had another minute walk later on due to a little kink in my knee, but that went away, too.
I finished strong. Usually, when I get down to two minutes left, I have to talk myself through it (sometimes even out loud). This time? I could have danced those last two minutes. Obviously, this is how Pracersize was born. I didn’t bust a move, but I was grinning from ear to ear, and I may have teared up.
I have successfully completed six weeks of 5-10K training, and I could not be more proud of myself.
The only downside is that I am done for at least 14 days, or until I am cleared by my ENT. At this time tomorrow, I will be at the tail end of a tonsilectomy (which I am NOT looking forward to), and I will be out of commission. Wish me luck.
As a runner, what milestone have you achieved that made you most proud?
Have you ever wanted to dance your way to the end of a run? (Bonus points if you’ve actually done it).
Do you still have your tonsils?
I am so PROUD OF YOU! You’re kicking ass, J! You’ll be so surprised how quickly you bounce back once you’re able to run again.
My most proud moment was finishing my first half. I broke down in ugly sobs after (and totally ruined any finish line photos I had). I’ve never danced at the end of a run, but I have had to stop myself from shaking my hips when a good song comes on. And, no tonsils here!
FiddleDeeAshley recently posted…June Runnerbox Review
I’m trying, girl. I really, really am. I hope it comes right back, or I’m going to be pretty discouraged.
I love that you were so emotional. I remember seeing that picture of you at the end of the half, and I loved it to pieces!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
SO awesome girl! SUPER proud of you! You’ve only going to keep making more and more progress with your attitude and outlook being so positive!
Kat recently posted…Packing for Fitbloggin! + Livewell360 review Vlog
I’m working on it! If I’m not positive about it, I’m never going to get anywhere!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Way to go, girl!!!! I think everyone has a “mental wall” and it sounds like you busted through it like a champ! Isn’t an awesome feeling to rock it and then when you finish look back and say I DID THIS! Good luck with your tonsilectomy, that soudns miserable 🙁 I think my proud moment is when I get past an 8 mile run, for some readon 8 miles is just the most daunting thing ever!! It’s so weird!!
Sarah @ Sweet Miles recently posted…dog walking is an art
I can see 8 miles being daunting. It just feels like it would be. Congratulations on hitting that milestone!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Aw, way to go… that’s awesome!! And especially on fighting the queasy feeling and finishing strong. I was most proud of 6.2 miles – mainly because I barely stopped but twice. Any distances longer than that I’ve had to stop for way longer so they’re less satisfying for some reason…
Ari @ The Pace of it All recently posted…Totally worth it!
Even with stopping, don’t sell yourself short. Getting those long distances done is amazing! You should be proud of all of them!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
I am extremely impressed.. I like following a plan that I didn’t have to come up with….. I will be trying to run farther too…I think you have motivated me to improve my attitude…. Have you tried other things to eat before you go out? Half a banana? Or just the gel blocks? I have yet to get sick on a run… Longest being 40 minutes…. Well keep up the most excellent work….
Kathy
I’m not usually a cheerleader, but I’m trying really hard to keep a positive outlook. It’s been so helpful for getting these runs done. I haven’t tried to the banana yet, but next time I go out, I will. I really don’t like eating or drinking anything before I go out, but with these long runs, it’s necessary. I think I just get overexcited.
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
I have not danced my way to the end of the run but I have wanted to! (And often boogie before or during a run.) I’m going to have to give it a shot! For me, just getting back and running post-accident is a coup, but each day at a time. What’s your favorite run/boogie tune?
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I’ll do it if you do!
How are you feeling?
I have a few favorites. Today, I was jamming to the final song of Pitch Perfect. It made me want to run, sing AND dance, but… you know… oxygen was kind of at a premium at that point.
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Congrats!!! I remember the day I ran 6 miles for the first time like it was yesterday (maybe because it wasn’t that long ago, haha). Everything had come together on that day for me. I was on a shaded but paved trail. The weather was only 60 degrees. I felt good and strong throughout the whole run. I won’t forget that day for a long time … mostly because I’m still trying to get to 7 miles, haha.
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You will definitely get there! I love when everything comes together!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
I am so happy for you!! You go girl. I swear new music is like an adrenaline rush!!
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama recently posted…Weekly Wednesday Workout: Supermans
You are so right! It was just what I needed to help get me through!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
YOU ROCK!! That is fantastic! I remember back when I first started running and 2 miles was a struggle, a friend told me offhandedly that she ran five miles and I was completely blown away by the distance–and you just did it!! Forget negative splits, forget pace — you freaking ran 5 miles. That’s awesome.
It’s too bad you have to take time off now, especially after such a big accomplishment. But rest up! You’ll come back even stronger.
I think everyone remembers that first big mile barrier that totally blew their minds. For me, it was hitting 10 miles, but I was on a treadmill so it felt like it didn’t count….but somehow, knowing I could run that far made me feel like I could run any distance at all.
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I know! When I first started running, a steady mile seemed so far out of reach. And look at me now!
I hate the timing of this so much, but it’s the soonest I could get it done. If not now, I would have to wait til Christmas time, and I have no desire to be laid up over the holidays.
Ten miles is incredible no matter how you get there!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Congratulations!! Definitely finishing my first half marathon was a huge milestone! Congratulations on breaking the 5-mile barrier! That’s awesome 😀
Rachel @ Undercover Diva: A Sitcom recently posted…Hometown Pride
So happy! And I thought of you today, too! I was all “Now I have another cookie tossing experience to share with Rachel!” At least, I’m in good company 🙂
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Congrats on making it to the 5 mile mark. I tried the Active 5k-to-10k app, but the timing on it didn’t work for me. I’m really excited to see that it can work for you because I liked the first couple of weeks, but fell away from it after it wouldn’t let me progress via distance.
I hit my first 10k of the season on Monday, and it made me so happy. I haven’t had the nausea hit so far, but the chaffing is something I have to get used to. Until I hit 6 miles, I never had to worry about it. Then for some reason, it’s been an issue ever since.
And as for the dancing? I kind of did today. I hit 7.5 miles of running, and I know I looked like an idiot to everyone around me–I threw my hands up in the air, yelled “OH YEAH!”, and trotted back toward my water bottle under a nearby tree. I didn’t quite dance, but I sure did fist pump the air real good. 😉
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You know, my big complaint with the app is that the distances are not 100% accurate. I use Runkeeper for a more accurate distance and the 5-10K app for the time instructions. The variation in distances is negligable (.2 miles here and there), but it’s close enough to count for me.
No chafing as of yet, but I did feel like I might have gotten a blister on my toe if I had gone much farther.
For 7.5 miles? You deserve dancing and fist pumps and confetti! Well done!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Thanks! I noticed that with the tracking with the C25K app, so I kind of figured it in with the 10k one, too. (And hey, maybe that’s why they do time vs distance, haha.)
I keep meaning to grab a GPS watch for the most accurate readings I can get, but they’re expensive. I keep looking at the Nike+ Sportswatch because it’s cheaper than the others.
B.J. @ GeekFitness recently posted…Eating like You’re Pac-Man
The first time I ever ran 5 miles- I was like ” Oh my goodness!”- I can still see the day, still what it read on my watch at the time. It’s a moment, a milestone.. that only you can understand. It was from that day onward, I set bigger and bigger goals.
5 miles seemed bigger than I was. And it seemed so surreal to know I just ran it!
Congrat’s and enjoy your moment- it’s about you and what you are doing.
And good luck with recovery- you’ll be good as new and back to the pavement in no time!
Thank you! I am enjoying it so much. I just felt so strong today. Silly, I guess, but I just walked around like “Yeah, I can run 5 miles, so there.”
Cannot WAIT to lace up again. Fourteen days is soooo looooong!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Breaking the distance barrier feels great doesn’t it! A few weeks ago I ran further than ever before, 32.5 miles and I didn’t stop smiling or talking about it for a week 🙂
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness recently posted…Top 5 Things I’m Lovin’ Lately
32.5! That’s incredible! I say I can’t even imagine it, but a few months ago, I couldn’t even imagine 5!
Congratulations! I would never stop talking about it!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
That’s awesome congratulations. Good luck on your surgery! I am sure everything will be fine. I was proudest when I hit 10 miles. When I first started running I could not even imagine it.
Kathy Nguyen recently posted…What’s Your Running Goal?
Thank you and thank you. I’m really anxious, and I hope the recovery is ok.
Ten miles is so amazing. It’s just so crazy and awesome to see how far we can go.
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Well done. You should be proud.
My proudest moment was finishing my 1st half marathon without stopping, and doing a tough mudder.
Today’s run was only 6.5km (4mi), and it was all kinds of awful for me. It took me until the 5km mark to get out of a funk. It happens.
Awesome turtle, that would have been the highlight of my day.
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Thank you!
A half without stopping is amazing! You should be proud of that.
The turtle was awesome. I wish I could have hung out with him, but I had miles to finish.
Yeah!!! Way to work it! I think anything that puts a smile on your face is worth celebrating! Most recently i ran 6 miles on the dreadmill. Could never do that since i hate the dreadmill…but it was complete mind over matter and got it done!!! Congrats to you!
Oh, the dreadmill! Any miles on that things are worth celebrating!
Yay, congrats!! I’m always proud when I run a new distance for the first time. Enjoy! I hope your surgery goes well and your recovery is short!!
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Hope the surgery goes well and best of luck on your recovery!
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Yey, yey, yey, yey, yey!
I am so excited for you!
I am the exact same as you. I can’t explain why, but when I was able to cross the 5 mile mark, for some (completely false and irrational reason) it made me feel like I’d, “made it” as a runner.
Of course that’s sill anyone who runs is a real runner. Regardless I am so excited for you, congratulations!
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Thank you!
You’re doing awesome, so proud of you! A podcast I was listening to the other day was talking about how even before early morning runs, you should get some sort of easy to digest food in your belly. They recommended little cups of unsweetened applesauce, or the little fruit pouches that are marketed toward kids. They said they’ll give you the same boost as a gel would, but without the yucky belly feeling and texture. Peanut butter and a whole wheat english muffin and sliced banana on top works well for me before long runs, as does Clif bars.
The milestone I’m most proud of was finishing my first half. I never in a million years thought I could run that far, and with a respectable time.
I have danced at the end of the run, there are sometimes (not often) that I get home and just feel like I killed it, I sprint to the end and just feel incredible. Best feeling ever.
I do still have my tonsils!
Kristin Smith @ A Mom on the Run recently posted…Birthday Party Day!
Great ideas.
You did such a great job on that half. Forever proud of you.
We’ll have to dance at the end of Space Coast.
Just a quick WAY TO GO! from me! Get after it…once you break that mental wall-it only gets easier.
Beth @ Read Hard Run Harder recently posted…I Go No Poo
Six miles! Here we come!
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
YAY!!!!! And the prancercize comment had me rolling!
I guess my distance barrier was 1.5 miles. Depending on how far I go back. As a teen, I couldn’t break a half a mile. Basic training broke that barrier, but then I didn’t run again for 16 years and had to start all over. But I was stuck at 1 mile forever, and once I got to 1.5, I went straight to 3.1. But now I realize it takes 1.5 to 2 miles just to get warmed up. 🙂
I’ve never wanted to dance at the end of a run. Fist pump, yes. Cry, and try to get my husband to carry me to the car because I was in so much pain? Yes. Eat 2 slices of Papa John’s when I’m gluten intolerant? Sadly, yes. 😉
I had my tonsils taken out in my late 20’s as a bonus procedure when I had my first nasal polyp surgery. By the Air Force.
DragonLady recently posted…Maniacal Monday #18
Prancersize for the win!
Basic training will get you moving, from what I understand. It’s just so awesome looking at how far we’ve come and how much we can accomplish when we work at it.
Yay for the tonsil-free club.
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Congrats on your five miler! Woot woo!!! I was probably most thrilled after completing of my first marathon. I’d been a runner all of my life, so completing that distance was a big deal for me.
Good luck with your tonsillectomy tomorrow! I still have my tonsils…
Debbie @ Deb Runs… recently posted…Top Ten Reasons Not to Ask a Runner How Their Long Run Went
It’s such a wonderful feeling to hit that kind of goal!
Thank you for your good thoughts. I appreciate it. 🙂
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
BIG CONGRATS! Way awesome, you deserve to feel very proud!!!
Sorry to hear about the tonsils though, at least you had such a great high with your run that it should keep up your motivation while you are down a few days!!! Heal quick!
Kristy recently posted…Runners Spotlight – Let Me Introduce Kelly
Thank you! I am working on that quick healing. Being in bed gets old fast. 🙂
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
Congrats! I remember my first 5 mile run and how proud I was. Couldn’t stop talking about it for days. Good luck with your surgery and recovery
Wornoutsoles recently posted…I think I’m going to puke
Thank you! And now… to figure out DIY Pudding Pops 🙂
runswithpugs recently posted…breaking the barrier
yay! great job!
Thank you!
Congrats on breaking that barrier!!! And it doesn’t matter how fast you are, what matters is that you did it!!
I just realized I didn’t have you on my bloglovin list! Ah! I’ve fixed it now…I’m following you. 🙂
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Ack! Glad I’ll be seeing you around here!
And thank you! I was pretty excited!