I have hit a spot where I get easily discouraged and frustrated.
The pain is still under control. That is good.
I have reached a new milestone in distance: 6 miles. Also good.
So what is not so good?
The pace.
Most of my runs over 4 miles are hard.
I struggle like a new runner or I should say like the new runner I once was.
I cannot find my "happy pace" the one where I can run for a long time and not have to catch my breath or walk.
This is hard for me. I get depressed and sometimes I want to cut my run short. But I don't. I have not done that once so far.
I cannot keep a decent pace for very long. My fitness is still not where it was.
My next race is October 28.
RnR LA half marathon.
I need to get busy and follow a plan.
The goals: finish. Faster than the OC half. Not get hurt.
That is reasonable.
After that I got Ragnar Las Vegas.
I want to be doing a lot better than now for that.
Patience....patience.....
I went back home. If you are a new reader home is Quebec City Canada.
I took the red eye last Friday night (3 flights during the night actually) to get to Quebec on Saturday August 17: my day's 80th birthday.
I got there on Saturday at 11 am and we had a party for my dad that day.
I was so happy to be there.
This was the first time I went back alone since I moved here to SoCal 13 yrs ago.
I have missed many Christmas and birthdays and other family events but this one was huge and I wanted to be there.
My brother came with his 2 girls, the oldest is my Godchild.
Me with my dad and my brother. (Do you think he is older or younger ?)
With Eve, my God daughter. She is 15 and now taller than me at 6 ft!
I stayed only 2.5 days total. That was crazy. I travelled back home Tuesday all day, left my parents home at 9 am and got to my house 15 hours later at 9 pm ( midnight Quebec time).
Crazy but worth it.
I had time to see my family and a few close friends and that was great.
I even had time to squeeze a short run in my neighborhood, first one on the pavement.
I passed in front my old elementary school.
Went to one of my favorite spot called "cafe temps perdus" means "the lost times cafe"
And this place
"The runner's corner"
This trip went by way too fast.
I was feeling homesick all week.
Even after 13 yrs it is still hard to be living so far away from my hometown.
10 comments:
Tough week! I am sure going back home makes you miss it that much more. You will get back to where you were. You have to believe in yourself and don't give up!
Merci pour tes excellents conseils Caroline!!
J'ai longtemps habité loin de ma famille (environs 6 ans au Nouveau Brunswick) et 4 ans en Suisse. J'avais la chance de voir ma famille un peu plus souvent que toi, mais ce n'était pas facile être si loin avec mes jeunes enfants. Donc, je te comprends...
Pour la course, chaque fois que j'ai eu une bonne blessure, je devais repartir à zéro...beaucoup de course/marche. C'est long, mais éventuellement, on retrouve la forme...tu vas y arriver Caro! xo
I think 6 miles is pretty darned good! That fitness will return. Big hugs!
I'm glad you got to go home for a visit. That was a short one. I think I'd be struggling with homesickness too if I had such a short visit...you'd just want more. But I know you are happy that you could just be there.
6 mils is a great improvement. I know it's hard to basically start over, but just try to celebrate the fact that you are running again :)
I am glad that you were able to go home. I am sure that your family (especially your father) was thrilled to have you home even if it was a short trip.
You will find your happy pace again. I struggled with the same thing when I was starting to run again. Just be patient and it will come to you when you least expect it.
So happy that you got to go home, even though it was a short visit! Sometimes even those short visits just mean the world :)
6 miles is a great distance! Hooray for being able to do it!!!! Hang in there, it will get better!
Glad you got a nice shot in the arm at home. And speaking of your home, I just visited Quebec City for the first time (to run the marathon) and it was such a wonderful place! Everyone was so nice and patient w/ us non-French speaking visitors :) But that bridge....oh that bridge was a memorable to run over!!!
Hang in there on the running...it'll come :)
I'm so glad you got to go home for your dad's 80th birthday. I bet it meant the world to him.
I've been running for just a little over a year. I'm training for a half right now and I've just found what I think is my happy pace. It's rather slow....wish it was a little faster, but for now I'm happy with it because I know I can run a half at that pace. Hope you get yours back soon!
So glad you got to make it back home. 13 years is a long time to be away. I've been making it home once or twice a year (lately, it's been closer to 2x/year because of family events), but I am often homesick.
My BF is lucky in that Seattle is home for him. He has yet to experience homesickness, but he is pretty understanding and sympathetic.
6 miles is awesome! Recovery is slow, but it sounds like you're making good progress. Patience! :)
Glad you got home again. I am lucky because I live and work in the same city where I was born.
I think, after all my bad experiences, that the most important goal is to keep running.... pace and distance are less important. Enjoy every moment of your runs.
All the best.
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