Day 35 - Run Progress

Don't Stop, Believin...

Believing that you can run 20 minutes without stopping...

In Zone 2...after my 5 minute warm-up.

That's the goal today.

And it's a beautiful day outside.

We start the run around 6:30pm and the sun is beginning to lower towards the horizon. The sunset will probably be a great one tonight.

The people will line up down the coastline with their red wine and beer, arm around their significant other as they watch it dip down over the horizon.

But for us, tonight we run again.

I'm enjoying it though and as I begin my slow jog, I see that my heart rate has finally been wrestled to a level where I can get a few minutes without seeing hardly any elevation.

'Is today the day where I can go the full session without stopping?' I wonder, Pet Semetary by Stephen King being read aloud in my ears.

That is precisely when I knew that was the case.

I continue my run until my Garmin buzzes me that my heart rate has reached the top of the zone. Instead of stopping to walk, I instead slow the pace of the jog and watch my heart rate decline.

I weave in and out of streets, past new construction, past old homes, down side roads that I didn't know existed.

Is this what a runner's high feels like?

I look down and soon see that 15 minutes have passed. I'm still slogging away.

Another 5 minutes treks by slowly, and just like that I'm finished.

Time for the 5 minute cool-down.

I walk next to my wife, proud of myself for this, even though it's probably not something someone should be proud of.

My fastest mile today? 10:57.

Not too bad for where I started...