So, Sunday (yesterday) I ran 5 miles nonstop for the first time....ever? It was awesome..granted, the last 2 miles I was drenched in sweat (which is a good thing, more to come on that below) and had to really visualize and push to keep up the flow, but I did it.  Something in me just knew that it would be an incredible boost for my confidence to tackle that 5 miles without a break.  Not that a few seconds of walking makes it any less of an accomplishment, but it's a bit of a mental chess match sometimes. 

The first mile or so my knees were both feeling a tad achy, but I'd eaten a lot of animal protein over the weekend and the acidic condition it produces in me has that effect on my joints sometimes.  Note to self: might be a good idea to make a veggie stew on Thursday, eat that for a couple of days, then maybe do a Master Cleanser for a few days.  Feels like my body is asking me for that.  I feel much like Dale Cooper when I digress like that! Perhaps I should carry around a mini tape recorder and begin all of these blogs, "Diane..."  ;)

Anyway, once I hit the 1.5 mile point that aching feeling was all gone and I just felt pretty damn good.  It was a bit earlier in the day than last week, but I'd still like to get myself motivated to do these long runs earlier and earlier so that a 7am marathon won't shock my body. 

The issue with sweating is this - when I'm out of shape and haven't been working on much yet, and/or when I'm not hydrated enough, I don't sweat enough so I just get all pink in the face and overheated.  I've always been like that.  But once I get into good shape and I'm meeting that hydration requirement, so my body is balanced, I sweat and I love every little bead.  In high school, the first time I got into really killer condition was about junior year, when my best friend and I did LOTS of hi/lo aerobics and Jane Fonda floorwork. We even started an Aerobics Club at our high school and taught class for free twice per week.  She would teach the warm up and cardio, I'd do the floor work and cool down...it was rad, baby.  You should have seen us in our shiny spandex outfits.  But I always admired the way she'd end up literally standing in a pool of sweat during her cardio. I'd be glistening and perhaps dripping a bit, but I knew she was staying cooler and cleansing more.  She hated the sweating thing, thought it was gross but the jockette in me envied her.

Last night, I sweat more than I ever have in my life!  It was wonderful.  It tells me a few key things; I'm hydrated enough (and need to be mindful to keep rehydrating and replenishing), I'm in better condition so my body is functioning better and I stayed in a good aerobic training zone.  When I'm anaerobic, I'll have a delayed reaction sweat factor; it kicks in more as I cool down than during sprints.  But when I stay aerobic long enough...waterworks.  I could not believe how heavy with sweat my clothes were when I peeled them off for a fabulous post-run shower by candlelight.  I loved it!

But now here's the rub...this week's easy runs are the same as last week, which is 3/4/3 and that was great so I know I can do that.  But the long weekend run jumps up to NINE miles!! So the long run climb went from 5 to 6 to 7 then tapered back to 5 for a rest week and then jumps to 9, which sounds sooooo unattainable right now.  I'm mentally preparing myself for allowing walk intervals.  It tends to be easier for me to do these longer distances when I break them up and think of them as, say, three 3-mile runs with a walk break in between each, rather than thinking of it as 9 miles.  Again, mental chess...just call me the Windom Earle of mental chess for marathon conditioning! (Twin Peaks fans, thank you...everyone else, sorry.) 

But as with everything in my life...one day at a time, don't project too far ahead, just enjoy the ride and trust.

And I have to stop to remind myself of just how incredible last night was...FIVE miles nonstop, feeling good.  Remember when I was all psyched out by the first long run of 5.5 miles? I do.  It was just a few weeks ago and I remember how incredibly tough it was, even with a walk break or two. This time, straight through and felt great.  I look forward to the time when a 9 miler is just another weekday run for me. 

My immediate goal is this first marathon, intermediate goals are to do more and I'd love to settle into being a 50+ mile per week runner. What a way to keep fit, see the world, meditate while moving and get younger every day!