Third Time's a Charm

Today was the third time I've run 3 miles without walking in less than 3 weeks!  That may not sound like much, but it's such an accomplishment for me. Back when I was struggling to run 2 minutes at a time without a walking break, I couldn't imagine reaching this point again. Today's run was on the slow-ish side, but I was more focused on finishing than running fast, and I was actually (relatively speaking) comfortable for most of the run.  I was still in Omaha so the slightly cooler weather and the early morning cloud cover helped immensely and I was even able to run up the 1/4 mile-long hill up to my parent's street at the end of the run!

I had set a goal to run 3 miles in under 32 minutes by the end of July, and I'm proud to say I met that goal last Wednesday!  Today's run in 35 minutes on hilly terrain was just the icing on the cake. Now I'm moving on to my 10k training plan for August/September and I'm so excited that I'm (knock on wood) ready to start working on more endurance. So far, the farthest I've run this year is 3.5 miles.  Hopefully that'll change in the next 3-4 weeks! Is it odd that I'm looking forward to lower-mileage speed work and increasingly longer long runs?

I've been listening to a lot of Glee songs while running, because they're so upbeat.  I particularly like this mash-up of Beyonce's "Halo" and the classic "Walking on Sunshine."

I love the opening lines:

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
They didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

Granted, this song is about love but for some reason those words make me so happy to be running. I imagine myself pushing through those invisible barriers my mind creates when I feel like quitting and it reminds me of the walls I've already broken through in the last few months. Corny, I know, but whatever work, right?

Running is becoming a saving grace. Onward to my 10k!