4 Miles in 2.5 hours!

Wait, what?

I like structure.  I might suck at motivating myself to get out there and run, but when I have a training plan in front of me, I follow it.  Sure, with time I learned what works for me and can tweak things here and there for my training, but I still need to see a schedule.  On paper.  With numbers.  And I need to check those miles off my calendar.

So after deciding to sign up for a 10k that I am in no way in shape for, I of course went over to my friend Hal Higdon (ok, so he has no idea who I am) and checked out his beginner’s 10k plan.  Let’s not mention how his plan is 8 weeks long, and my time frame is only 2.5 weeks.  But though I’m at a beginner’s endurance, I’m not really a beginner per se, right?  After all, I have ran over 30 races, with over a third on the double digit mileage, so even though I’m out of shape, I still call myself a runner.

Oh, and did I mention how I broke out in hives?  And how it hasn’t gone away?  And I’m now on prednisone?  (Which sadly, is not that type of steroid…)  Just like last year, I have a horrible reaction to prednisone, I’m a bit “off” most of the day, you know when you’re there but not really there?  So I’m tired all day, and the hives are just now finally improving a bit.  Luckily, most of the VERY noticeable part is hiding under clothes…

But onto the running 4 miles in the time it takes me to run a half marathon.  And yes I RAN it.  NO WALKING.  The last time I ran this much, was with Erin on my last run with the group a couple of days before leaving DC (I didn’t blog about it, but I got 5.5 miles in), but I did blog about my last 4 miler in DC, and gosh, looking at those pictures again, I ache for those trails…

So I hopped on the treadmill with the goal of running 3 miles, but after a (very slow) mile, I was sweating profusely and breathing hard, despite having the AC pumping and the treadmill fan on (damn you prednisone!!!).  It was TOUGH.  So I hopped out.  I took a break.  I went on the computer, I ate dinner, even took pictures of myself after the sweat dried out.  

And then I went back for one more…   I put the elevation back at zero (I had run at 0.5 for the first mile), and when I hit the end of that mile I decided that I could finish the 3 miles.  I even sprinted for the last quarter mile at a 8 min/mile pace with the 0.5 elevation back on!

I was sweaty…  but decided that it wasn’t over yet.  I went outside, walked Lily, and then was back for a final mile, sprinting to the finish again, this time at the last tenth of a mile.

And I finished 4 miles!  Definitely sweaty.  Yes, I’m totally posting a sports-bra picture here, you can almost see the hives on my chest – my stomach is really the worst part, where the hives are almost purple, I was trying to avoid the sweat factor not to make the hives worse.  (And as you can see I still love my Moving Comfort Fiona, even if the company never gives me anything free to review…  I think the one I’m wearing is 5 years old…)

Sure I took breaks, but I got the distance done in one day, and in the end, 4 miles in 2.5 hours is still better than if I had given up after that single miserable mile…  (And I should add that the first mile was the only miserable one!)

The treadmill proof!  (If only the total calories part was accurate…)

And Lily as usual wouldn’t let my post-workout sweaty face alone…

This Sunday I’m off to Cebu for a couple of days to celebrate my birthday (I’m freaking old already), and I’m hoping to get a couple of miles in down there too.

And I still owe pictures and reviews from both Coron and Moalboal, so that is coming soon!