I ran 7.5 miles last Sunday. It was no big deal.
Honestly. Who am I?
I remember last year when I ran more than seven miles for the first time. I was nervous. Scared even.
Now, it’s like…been there, run that. Know what I mean?
Don’t get me wrong. Seven and a half is nothing to sniff at. It’s just that it doesn’t scare me anymore. I did, however, get a few butterflies when I put my fuel belt on for the first time in months. It’s been hanging in my closet. Waiting patiently. I think it’s been since June 2009. Wow.
But then I was, “Bye, hon. See ya later,” out the door. No biggie. An hour and 23 minutes later I was back.
Do you remember the first long run you were scared about? Do you still get nervous about long runs? Are you getting nervous about one coming up?
17 comments
I'm with you on that. I rememberber all the milestones: getting past 3, then 5, then 10 then 13.1 :)Now when I say I only ran 5 miles I think to myself “who just said that” lol.That's when I feel like a runner even if I am SLOW.
I loved the “Honestly. Who am I?” statement!That is me. to head out for an “easy 5″…just sounds weird coming from my lips. I have to say, I've never run more than 6 alone…that's what gets me through…but this year, that will change. With a marathon staring me in the face and hopefully another half…I 'm going to have to buck up and do it alone. That makes me a little nervous.
Surprisingly, I'm not at all worried about my half coming up on the 30th. Even though I got injured and my training has been sucking, I've run 13.1 before so I'm just not worried. I feel like maybe I should though. LOL
Oh yes, I definitely remember them all. Now, the long run is my favorite!
I used to be a wreck over long runs. I would be nervous all week and have a terrible sleep the night before. What a great feeling to look at the mileage you want to run and think “NO PROBLEM!”Congrats!! 🙂
The first time I trained for a half marathon, I remember my first 8 mile run that was on my schedule. I was so nervous but then so happy and stoked after it was over. Now I look forward to distances I have yet to cover, because I know that once finished, I will be so happy to have crossed another milestone! I actually like long runs better than tempo runs. For some reason knowing that I have to keep a certain pace for a certain amount of time makes me more nervous!Go figure! 😀 Honestly, come February/March, I can't wait to have completed my first 20 miler! 20 miles just sound so freaking far!!!!! Oye!
My first scared-stupid long run was 5 miles. FIVE MILES! Crazy how easy that seems to me now. I was on vacation at my brother's house in eastern Oregon, I'd only been running for three months, and my longest to that point was 4 miles. One more mile may not seem like much now, but back then it was huge. I don't get nervous anymore, because I know I can finish it every run I start. It's become much more about improving with each run.
I remember running with my Sunday morning crew last year and we thought we were “bad ass” when we did an 8 miler. Last Spring I even remember going on USTAF and mapping a 9.5 miler that would even include a bridge (yes I live in FL so we see nothing more than an ant hill on our runs) and we crab loaded for a week. Now, 23 days before marathon #1 a 15 miler is not problem. My first 20 miler was actually a piece of cake and would never have even known that I ran more than a 3 miler. It is truly amazing what our bodies are capable of. (Oh and FYI congrats on Seattle RNR in June…I am doing San Diego RNR in June too!!) Have a fabulous weekend!
carbo loaded…NOT crab loaded…couldn't imagine running after filling the tummy with crabs!
@Heather – LOL. But crab-loading cracked me up!!!!
Yep, they don't scare my anymore either! isn't it cool!! I don't even get butterflies before races anymore…guess that is why I had to go and sign up for a half iron. now that gives me the straight up jitters!!GREAT JOB with your run!!! You are doing great!!
My first “nervous” long run was hitting the 10-mile mark… after that was 15. Everything else beyond that seemed okay, until I got to my first marathon and totally pooped out. 🙂 Once I hit the 22-mile mark during the race, I suddenly wished I had done MORE long runs!You're doing great — good job on the long run & not being scared about it!xoxo,A
I remember being terrified of my first 5 mile run. lol
I had no fear of anything up to 13.1 miles. I rationalized a 1/2 marathon as 90 minutes of soccer plus double overtime & injury time with active rest (jogging) at 1/2 time. Now that I'm training for a full, I'm terrified of anything over 13.1 miles! That distance has been my longest long run, so far. I look at 15, 16, 18 on the schedule and my heart starts racing, my eyes get huge, I panic inside! I know once I run them, the fear will be gone, but right now, I'm freaking out!
They don't scare me unless I let them get to me. If I think about the distance too much, it does start to get to me. That doesn't happen too often, though, which is a good thing. But 12 or 15 miles now is not intimidating. I have 14-15 on Sunday and I'm looking forward to the drop in mileage. Considering I ran 20 last week, it will be a welcomed drop 🙂
Anything over about 14 miles still intimidates me and I've been doing this for three years now. It's something that I would like to work on this year…
I'm in training for my first marathon and have hit the uncharted waters distances. Two weeks ago I ran the furthest ever in my life (13.5) and it was awesome knowing I'd never gone that far before. Last Sunday I did 16! I'm amazed at how quickly my body has adapted to going longer. It is a bit scary but also motivating!