15 WHAT???

If you don't want to read gripes and pains, skip down a couple paragraphs to the happy part. :)

This weekend is the 15K in Jacksonville. Goodness gracious. It's definitely not going to be easy, that's for sure. Once I hit the 5 miles and then the 7 miles, my body decided that it was TIRED. Every time I've run after each of the long runs, it's been really hard. For example, I went out on Sunday with the expectation of going anywhere from 2-3 miles, no problem. I ended up having to WALK for 2 miles because my legs could not get it together. Each time has been a real struggle to find my pace and get in a good rhythm. Tomorrow is the last time I'm getting out on the road until the race on Saturday. I just really want to be comfortable out there, but it's been really hard.

The day I did 3.25 miles, it was awesome. I had a good pace, a good rhythm, and nothing hurt. I felt like I could've just kept going. I LOVED that feeling. And now I'm frustrated that I can't find that feeling again. I haven't been able to feel that good at the end of a run since then. That's just freaking frustrating. On one hand, my body has never had to run this much continually EVER so it could still be getting used to all this. But on the other hand, I've done all this and come this far - why can't my body just do what I want? I'd rather feel the pain of a good run/workout than the pain of an agitated muscle/tendon/overall body. I really hope that once I get over this hurdle, it will be back to good runs/workouts.

Alright, now for the happy stuff. :)

I did 7 miles. And it was FREAKING HARD. But I think I have a way of focusing my thoughts away from the pain that comes with all this running. Listening to a book on my iPod. Now, the book that I needed to pick would have to be something that would keep my attention and not seem like someone just droning on in my ear. So my book of choice? Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. I've read all the books, so I know what's going to happen, but I also know that it will keep my attention and keep me interested. I used it when I did the 7 miles, and let me just tell you that I didn't pay attention to the time or anything. I stopped and stretched when I needed to and it really just kept me calm and not worried about how fast I was going or what was hurting. So I'm really hoping that it'll pull through for me this weekend.

I'm definitely excited about this weekend. I'm excited to see how I do and just plain excited to be somewhere other than home. Like a mini vacation. With a 9,44 mile run that's gonna make me want to die haha. And I get to see some of my family and hang out with them for a little bit, so I'm definitely excited about that. :) It's going to be a good weekend and I'm pretty pumped. So the next time you see me update, it will be post 15K and hopefully a good post at that!

HONK!