speedy gonzalez?

I ran!  Woohoo!

Upon taking my first steps, my shins hurt, so that's not good.  But I was only slated to run 1.75 miles today (although with no breaks - yikes), so I figured I should just push through.  The bank I ran past informed me that it was 98 degrees.  Holy crap!  I was running a route I had never done before, so I left my ipod at home.  As much as I love listening to music, I like to be more aware when running new routes.  I also think I might run a little faster without music, maybe because I am focusing more on my running and less on the tunes?

I was supposed to go 1.75 miles - out and back - but I got confused about where my turn around point was, and I actually ended up only going 1.64.  By the time I got home I was gasping for air and covered in sweat.  And no wonder, because I finished my run in 16:48!  That's 10:14 min/mile pace!  Way faster than I usually go.  I definitely think that running without my ipod and focusing on trying to keep up the pace helps.  I also think that despite the 98 degree weather - the very low 36% humidity helped me out quite a bit!

Although my shins hurt and this was a short run, I'm feeling super encouraged about (a) going at ALL in this heat and (b) going so FAST!  I'm excited to spend the next few weeks in a low-humidity and slightly cooler climate, building up my mileage and focusing on my speed.  I don't have any goals of running faster than 10 minute miles, but now that I know I can do 10:14 I might try to push myself to keep my pace under 11 on my shorter runs!

I'll be on mini hiatus from the blog - but don't worry, I'll be running and planning some delicious grilled meals in the near future :-)