Back to basics

Believe it or not, I actually have a run to report on. I know--you probably thought that my "running blog" had officially been converted into a "travel blog." But worry not, my friends . . . Irish is back and ready to train!

Last night, I hit the gym and took on my arch nemisis, the treadmill. Ugh. I H-A-T-E the treadmill. I stepped on, and realized I didn't really have a plan for myself. Thus, I decided to hit quick start and see where it would take me. For some reason, as I ran at a relatively easy 9:40 pace, the number 5 kept creeping its way into my head. The problem is . . . I can rarely stand the boredom of running on the treadmill for more than 3 miles. Generally, after passing that magic number, I get so bored I have to stop and stretch . . . or get a drink of water . . . or fix my ponytail. I just HAVE to do something to break the monotony of running in place for an extended period of time.

Well, I decided to test myself last night. I would try to make it to 5 miles without letting the boredom get to me. I cranked up my ipod, turned on CNN to search for typos in the ticker (yes, I am weird enough that I am actually entertained by this activity), and prayed for time to pass as quickly as possible. I ignored the temptress of a treadmill display and just kept on going . . . that is, until I couldn't take it anymore. I just HAD to know how far I'd "traveled." I looked down, noticed I was just under 3.5 miles, and immediately proceded to get the worst side stitch I'd ever experienced. It was ridiculous. I tried to gut it out and get rid of it with some belly breathing, but after several minutes of doing so with no results, I finally gave in. I paused the 'mill, got a drink of water and just generally collected myself for a few minutes.

Finally, I hopped back on and got myself ready to finish out the last mile and a half. The side stitch threatened to come back somewhere right around the 4.5 mile mark, but I gutted it out and forced myself through the last half-mile (during which I could not, for the life of me, take my eyes off of that damn display!). When I was finished, I cooled down with a nice ten minute walk. Even though I'd failed at my mission of completing the 5 miles without any interruptions, I felt pretty good about myself, considering I'd covered five miles at a 9:40 pace on my first run back since the half (unless you count pool running--which I did a couple times in St. John). Amazingly, it felt pretty darn easy, other than the obnoxious side stitch. I definitely breathed a HUGE sigh of relief to know that I haven't lost much fitness over the past two weeks (thank you hiking, swimming and pool-running!)

Tonight, I am participating in the 3.5-mile JPMC Corporate Challenge. I haven't decided whether I'm going to all-out race it or just be social and walk/jog with co-workers. Whatever the case, I'll be sure to share the results after the fact.

Happy running!