Julia-ism and Today's Run

It appears that the Julia-isms are not going to be a Wednesday thing. They happen too randomly, so it's best for me to just post them as they occur.

If you are familiar with Monty Python's Flying Circus, you will get today's Julia-ism. If not, it won't be nearly as funny.

Today Julia was folding clothes for me. She pulled one of my bras out of the basket and held it up. The underwire was hanging half out, and it was sadly threadbare.

Julia: This is a late. bra.

Me: It's deceased. Dead. Pushing up daisies.

Julia: IT HAS CEASED TO BE!

............................................................................

So, today I ran six miles. I ran every step, except to slow down for two hydration breaks so I wouldn't strangle on my water. It took me 68 minutes. I can't believe it.

I did the run today on the treadmill, because I was really exhausted after a trying week, and I needed to sleep past 5 this morning. I started at an easy 5 mph pace, and did intervals of 6 mph and 7 mph, and did some hills to try to mimic outdoor running as much as possible.

When I first started running, I jogged at 4.5 mph. If I made it for five minutes, I thought that was great. The first time I made it a full twenty minutes without walking, I felt like a rockstar.

As my endurance increased and I was able to jog longer stretches at 4.5 mph, I started pushing myself to run a few minutes at 5 mph. After a minute or two at 5 mph, I had to walk, because a 4.5 mph jog did not get my heart rate back down at all. Still, I felt good about doing a little at 5 mph.

Now, I warm up at 5 mph. I can run at 5 mph for a long time, without getting my heart rate very high at all. It is a recovery pace for me now, and after pushing myself at 6 mph or 7 mph for a few minutes, I can slow down to 5 mph and recover completely to a comfortable zone 2 heart rate. That amazes me.

I know that my current pace is not very impressive to seasoned runners; it's still very slow, even for a distance runner. It is so much more than I have ever been able to do before, though, and I am so excited at my progress. I am in awe of every step I run. When I began my training, I could not imagine doing what I can do now. It is so exciting to think what I'll be able to do in three more months!