Today, I’d like to start off by saying how much you guys mean to me. You’ve inspired me, supported me and made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. I am so grateful for this online community and that one day when I finally got enough courage to start my own blog!
I’ve grown so much over the past 6 months! Take for example last week. It may sound like nothing to some seasoned runners out there, but I am proud nevertheless: Don’t forget that this time last year I could barely last 15 minutes on a treadmill. *Yup… I HATED everything about running!*
Last Wednesday I ran my first 13 km outside *I don’t count the Super Spartan Race last month*. I took it slowly in order not to overdo it, and it took me 1:31:51 to finish*deduct maybe 2-3 minutes for red lights* .
But… DRUMM ROLL… I didn’t stop there and went for my first ever 15 km run on Sunday! It felt amazing, nothing I thought it would feel like. I was tired, but I felt ALIVE! My time was 1:44:58. I feel like I could have done better, but considering that I had under 6 hours of sleep and ran on pretty much an empty stomach, I am super proud of my accomplishment!!! And I thank YOU for playing a big role in this fascinating adventure!
It’s crazy how you can LEARN to love something you disliked so much before! If you had told me this a year ago, I’d probably laugh in your face. *True story!* I still remember my first 5 km I ran on a treadmill last July, I felt light-headed… Who would have known?!
Last week also taught me that I have to keep learning about running; for instance, how to stay hydrated and how to fuel my longer runs among many other things. As you may remember, my Spartan Sprint (5+ km) is 2 weeks away, and the Spartan Beast (20+ km) is in 6 weeks already!!! *Time flies!*
First of all, on Sunday, I tried running with a Camelbak I got my hubby for his birthday last year *Oops!*. The strap in the middle really kept it from bouncing, which made me very happy. The only annoyance was the noise the water kept on making, but, as I can imagine, it’s a part of a deal regardless of a solution. Actually, it was sort of funny. Every single time I approached someone from behind, they would turn to see what the heck it was. *I promise, I didn’t breathe heavily!!!* That being said, I’ll rather take that than drink water from a river during my two upcoming races. *I think I forgot to mention about this tiny little detail that occurred during my Super Spartan race… YAH!.. But then, at that moment, I could care less, all I wanted was to drink. Haha!*
Also, last time I tried fueling with Gu Roctane (Srawberry-Kiwi & Pineapple), and it went well. I didn’t have any cramps or whatsoever. So the biggest task right now is to experiment with the timing, and maybe see if there is anything out there that works better for me. *Any suggestions are very welcome!*
Finally, I decided to try out a new kind of a protein bar *meaning, I’ve never tried it before*, I came across at Costco yesterday. I looked at the nutritional info and was quite impressed. The price also seemed to be reasonable as well. Normally, I have a peanut butter toast with a banana prior to my run, but I am curious to see see how it goes.
What have you learnt about yourself recently?
xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 