The kind of run where you get a blister on your thumb

This is a pic from my long run at Brushy Creek today. We started by Olson Meadows Park. 

Workouts for the week:

Monday- 1.42 miles at Lake Pflugerville
.64 open water swim
Tuesday- 1.57 miles- (early morning route)
Wednesday- 862 yd swim
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- 1.79 miles- treadmill
933 yd swim
Saturday- Rest Day
Sunday- 6.0 miles run at Brushy Creek

So, pretty happy with my workouts for the week overall with two caveats: I didn't do any core work and I wish some of my runs during the week would have been longer. 

But, I really want to talk about my long run today. 

This was a difficult run for me but ultimately good. We stayed up late eating pizza and pasta and as such started the run late. When we started, it was about 8 am after my warmup. I would have liked to start about an hour earlier. My allergies were hurting me and my throat felt like it was closing up. I felt heavy and tired and didn't know if I would be able to make my goal of running 5.85 miles in 1:15:00.

And (duh)  I didn't run at that pace. To make up for not running the speed I wish I did, I ran .15 miles more. 

My splits for the run were:

12:29
12:46
12:55
14:29- bathroom break
12:42
13:14-

So, I think my splits were decent as I was happy they were pretty consistent, other than the bathroom break and the last mile.

I ended the run with a blister on my thumb and a blister on my right foot. How do you get a blister on your thumb during a run?!

I know it sounds like I am complaining about the run. And it sounds like that I guess because I AM! Honestly though, I ended up putting the smiley face on this run for 3 reasons:
1. I haven't run 6 miles in over 3 months.
2. I finished and went further then planned.
3. It was so nice to see all the runners out today.

I think seeing other runners out there when I am doing long runs helps a lot. Although I have done races and have run about 12 times in 2 and a half years with my husband, I generally am a solitary runner. I run by myself because I like to be alone mostly during runs, I'm not that fast and I take walk breaks and I know that's not other people's style necessarily and it's good stress relief.

However, sometimes when you are in a "bad place" during a run, i.e. you have a blister on your thumb and sweat dripping from your ears ( why is my body so weird?!) it can be helpful to see people on the trail. The variety is amazing and distracting and inspiring. Today I saw a group of young guys booking it, lots of girl friends walking and talking and several steady, smooth runners.

When I see these people, I remember that running isn't just about me. I am not the only one dealing with the heat and humidity. I am not the only one who is tired. I am not the only one who appreciates how great and hard at the same time running can be. I think running helps you to develop a respect for the effort it takes to do the sport, even if from some people, it looks like they are exerting little effort, I know that having the discipline and drive to get to the point where they CAN go that fast is worth something.

LONG TRAINING RUN #1 for the marathon IN THE BOOKS!