Andrea asked me how far I planned to go today and I told her I’d see how far my body would take me. That was exactly 1.5 miles. And it wasn’t fun.

Miles Run: 1.5
Time: 16 minutes, 47 seconds
Miles to Go: 44.77
Days to Go: 86
Average Miles Per Day Needed: 0.52
Pounds Lost: 3
Pounds to Go: 32

There was no runners high to be had on this run. There was no joy in it. There was only struggle. It was obvious I had not recovered from the 10K on Saturday as it felt like I had never run more than a half mile in my life. My whole body was in open rebellion to what I was trying to do and, ultimately, I gave in to its demands. On the walk back, my left leg absolutely ached from my ankle to my him. It was a bit disappointing, but I am staying optimistic that it is just a minor set back.

With the 10K out of the way, I’ve been thinking about other goals. A couple of years ago, I was determined to do a sub-30 minute 5K. I never came close and I don’t think it is a reasonable goal as I am about six minutes off that goal. I can do my best to get it as close to 30 minutes as possible. So, I think that will be my next goal…there are a couple of virtual 5K’s in early December that I main take aim at.

Often times when I am running, I think about topics I want to write about. One piece my brain has been churning on is something that I’ve been working on for more than a year and a half about immigration. I’ve been hesitant to finish it and publish it because I try not to be political…I try not to cause those kinds of waves. However, during every one of these runs, I think a little about it and become determined to publish it that night. I honestly am really proud of it and I feel it has benefited by the length of time I’ve been working on it and the amount of attention I’ve given it. Obviously, I have yet to publish it, but I think I will soon.

There is another piece working through my mind that is very political, as well. In the current climate, there is a weird mindset I have about really wanting to write it, but not wanting to publish it and possibly offend friends and family that may disagree with me. I feel like not writing it is a betrayal of writers in the past…that if I want to call myself a writer, I need to take a stand and not be afraid of ruffling feathers. However, friendships and family are more important than that and I don’t want to risk alienating myself or those I am close to. I need to figure out if what I have to say is important enough or if it is just an exercise in vanity. It’s something I need to reflect a bit more on…I hope that the running helps loosen the mental barriers there.

Andrea found this challenge online to run 100 miles between now and the end of the year. I have been wanting to run more consistently and have also been wanting to write more often, so I thought it was perfect. I figure I could run and document it here in my blog.