Lessons Learned on Saturday's Run

In less than two weeks, I'll be running the Glass Slipper Challenge (a 10K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday) during runDisney's Princess Half Marathon weekend!  As I mentioned yesterday, I haven't done a very good job of exercising lately, which means that I haven't done a good job of sticking to my training plan.

Knowing that, I've just been focused on getting in some of my training runs and not beating myself up over ones that I've missed.  I've consistently gotten in 2 runs each week, but completing my long runs on the weekends has been hard.  Increasing my mileage means being gone for a longer amount of time.  That's been hard to do when I want to use my weekend time to play with my baby girl!

Well, on Saturday, I did get in one of my long runs, and I learned a lot about running and about myself doing so.

-It's so much easier to run in cooler weather!
After running in the year-round humidity and heat of Florida for 3 years, it was SO NICE to run in 45-50 degree weather!  It was easier to breathe, and I was able to maintain a much faster pace than I'm used to on long runs.

-Just getting out and doing it makes me feel so much better.

One reason I've missed so many long runs is that I put them off for later in the day.  With an infant, things get more and more unpredictable later in the day, and that often means my long runs don't happen.  Well, on Saturday, I almost put it off again, but once M went down for her morning nap, I got dressed and went out the door right away.  I felt so, so great after running and getting it done!  I need to remember that feeling and make my long runs a priority early in the day on my weekends!

-I can be strong mentally throughout my run!
Running is such a mental sport, and normally I'm not good at keeping a strong mentality throughout my run.  However, I was ON mentally Saturday, and it's crazy how much easier the run was!  I focused on the music, I set goals for my run/walk intervals and stuck to them, and I pushed myself to finish strong. Seeing that ability in myself made me feel really good about my upcoming races, since finishing strong has always been tough for me.

-I ran my fastest 4-6 mile run EVER on my RunKeeper app.

Everything just came together, and Saturday's run was actually my fastest run of this distance since I've been tracking them with RunKeeper!  I was also really excited to see my mile splits.

A sub-10:00 pace and my fastest split for the last 0.3 miles of my run?  Go, me!!

My success with Saturday's long run gives me hope for my next half marathon training cycle.  If I'm having that kind of success with inconsistent training, then just think of what I can do when I fully stick to my plan!  For now, though, I'll be tapering until the Glass Slipper Challenge and adjusting my goals for the two races based on my inconsistent training.

I'm linking up with Erika, Patty, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run!

Question for you: What's a lesson you've learned from a recent run?