503.39

“Like trained monkeys or drug addicts, some athletes will do whatever it takes for more.” –Joe Miller

Today I passed the 500 mile marker. I'm sure that I've run at least this much in one year before, but I've never recorded it. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment. I have my runs planned through November and I should pass the 1100 mile marker before the end of the year.
This hasn't been an easy task to accomplish. I have a subscription to a few women's magazines and every month one of the cover stories is about getting "Flat Abs Fast" or "Dropping 10, 20, even 30 lbs NOW!" Well I'm going to let the cat out of the bag: running's not easy. You can't up your mileage fast or run a marathon NOW. You'll end up hurting yourself or getting burnt out.
I've been running since I was 12 and it has taken me almost 12 years to get to the point where I am racing and training on a consistent basis on my own. Sure, in middle and high school I ran a lot, but I had a team and coach that helped push me. In undergrad I ran, but it wasn't very consistent and I never raced. I was very involved in the campus activities & that's what I gave priority to over running. Now that I'm married & in grad school I seem to make more time for running. I am still very busy, but I don't have to worry as much about the social time constraints like dating & my time at school is more like a job than school. My husband also likes to workout so it's something we both make room for in our lives.
It has also taken me 12 years to get to the point where I am starting to see more muscle tone in my legs & body. I'm sure it was always there, but sometimes the person in the mirror doesn't look anything like the person standing in front of it. Running can really help improve your self esteem, but I think it might take longer than 6 minutes a day for one week.
Running should be slow for beginners, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Once a certain pace gets easy, you'll find yourself pushing the pace to make it harder. I think I'll always be striving for a new PR.

my runs:
M - 2 mi, 16:40.26; yoga class at gym
T - 4 mi, 34:59.71; pilates class at gym
W - Centergy class at gym then Lunar Lope 5K, 28:44.66
We ran under a full moon (which you could only see for a few minutes because it was overcast) at 10pm through campus. This was a lot of fun and I plan on doing it every summer we're here!
Th - spinning class at gym