Re-evaluating

Today after talking to my husband and completing my daily run, one thing became apparent - I need to ditch the treadmill completely. Well ok, unless its 30 degrees, windy, and rainy, all at the same time - but that has maybe a 5% chance of happening during the mild winters of the south. Treadmills are good for people who are just starting out, but I need to break through beginner phase and advance my running. I'm going to be running races outside, I should practice outside for every possible run.

I ran on the Army base today, since my husband had a dental appointment I figured it made sense to make a single outing out of it. There is a dirt track right outside the gym I go to, which is perfect... locker rooms, bathroom, recovery shake if I need...plus I keep hearing it's best to avoid running on pavement if possible. Perfect. Only trouble was I had no idea how long it was! My first thought was 2 miles, since Army run PT tests are 2 miles long. When I got home I used Map My Run and found out it's only 1.75 miles. But, I ended up running a total of 2.75 today. I did it in 28:30 or so, putting me at a pace of 10:36. I did pause my watch and drop by the car for a quick drink which took a minute or so. If I had known how long the course was I might have been able to push myself longer. It felt like a longer run than it was, and my legs were starting to cramp up so I decided it was time to stop. But this just made me realize that I need to be running outside. It's more difficult than running on a treadmill but also a much more accurate representation of how I am really running.

So I'm going to keep running on the base, my short term goal is to run the entire track twice (3.5 miles) in one sitting. I may need to keep my water bottle on the side of the path near my car for a quick and easy stop halfway through. There is also a trail right near my house that I will go check out. If I run the whole loop twice it would be about 4 miles. I think the whole thing is paved, but I'll still go and try it out. I'll have to be on the lookout for other places to run in this little town :)


Tomorrow = rest day. I haven't had a rest day since Sunday. But I planned it this way because I have a job interview tomorrow, and I just didn't feel like working out and then having to clean up for the interview. Plus I need to make sure I am as prepared as possible and have the whole day to get my mind right. We have been here for 3 months and I have just not had any luck finding a job. I will say this, increasing my level of activity and losing 13 lbs has really increased my self confidence and made me much happier. And I am sure it will show in my interview.