TGI. . .Carp: Thurs. Aug. 9, 2007

Wow! Am I glad that's done! According to my Garmin -- 2.52 miles in 30:29. When I mapmyrun.com'd it, it said I went much less distance, though, as usual, the trails aren't marked, so I had to guess. <b>Pacer's</b> pipe cleaners passed me TWICE, even though I turned around first and walked up a ginormous hill (up which he apparently ran <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Sad">). An even cuter guy ran up the hill too, so I got a nice view there <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile">.<br><br>
I'm currently having another "How am I ever going to run this 5k?" morning, and I need a little kick in the @ss. Here are my arguments:<br>
(1) I hit a wall around 27:30 and it's all I can do to keep running to 30:00.<br>
(2) I've never run more than 2.75 miles and that was mostly downhill or flat.<br>
(3) It starts at 9:00 am, and I've never run later than 7:30.<br>
(4) It's on August 25.<br><br>
Reasons why I can run it:<br>
(1) I never admit defeat.<br><br>
I guess I'm just amazed when people like <b>Voo</b> say, "The wheels fell off and I could only run 5 more miles." (I'm not picking on you, <b>Voo</b>). When my wheels fall off, I can barely run 5 more minutes. I <i>know</i> I'm a new runner, and I can't expect miracles, esp. with all the extra weight I'm carrying around, but (sadly) running is the only thing that's I'm excited about and where I'm sticking to my goals (I'm about 6 weeks behind on my dissertation plan), so I want to be <i>really</i> successful, and not just "making good progress."<br><br>
Ok, I'll be done now. Thanks for letting me go a little nuts this morning.<br><br>
I don't know the metric conversion for sweat, but the end of my ponytail is wet, so I know it was many whole men and women.<br><br>
Thunderstorms called for today. It's going to be fun!

Hey, all--<br><br>
Thanks for your fantabulous advice and words of encouragement. A while ago I was in a support group for women with food and body issues (no eating disorder, just disordered eating), and one of our rules was "NO NUMBERS" because saying, "I ate 1000 calories yesterday" (which was breakfast for me) might trigger someone else's disorder. While I would NEVER advocate a no-numbers policy here, I think I'm experiencing trigger-type issues. I want to be as good as the experienced people, so I stress out about my numbers. Because I'm running a program by time and not by distance (until the end of September), I need to keep my watch, but I have a pretty good sense of how far 30:00 is, so I'll try to ignore that I'm wearing it. So many of you have said this, but <b>Voo</b> said it today: the brain needs as much training as the body. Again, thanks for your support.<br><br>
The race is Labor Day weekend, September 3, and instead of running triumphantly into Heinz Field, I will be flying home from Chicago and the national conference of my field, where I will be spending my birthday for the rest of time. Really, I'm not upset, though.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Cool"><br><br>
I live in Squirrel Hill, if you're familiar with the 'burgh. They're not kidding when they say "Hill" either.<br><br>
One of the guys who ran up the big hill this morning said hi to me, and I was so impressed that he was (a) running up the hill, and (b) had enough breath to talk, that I said, "Hello" in a "well, hello, big boy" kinda way. I was a little embarrassed afterward.<br><br>
Good thing it's not Friday<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Very Happy">

That would be an excellent program! The day that I BQ is the day that I will fly the entire 30s group to Boston to cheer me on. How many of us are there? 40 give or take? (Where's <b>Coach T</b> when I need him and his lists?) Yeah, you can write it down and take it to the bank because that's a promise I am totally ready to keep (as it will only happen when JK Rowling writes another HP <i>novel</i>, which is never).<br><br>
I was talking to a friend at lunch who's run my 5k, and he was saying that he wishes I was running the Steeler's 5k instead because it's so much easier than mine, and for a first event, it's going to be hard. . .<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Cool"> Then the stubborn "won't admit defeat" part of me reared its head, and I thanked him for the warning, but I was looking forward to the race. Totally love him, but not what I needed today. Oh, well. I'm going to kick @ss, take names, and have fun. Even if it's hard.