Push

 I did something last night I haven't done for a really long time.

..and something I wasn't even sure I was capable of.

As everyone who is reading this probably knows, I tend to run races long enough that walking during them is pretty much non-optional - I'm sure there are plenty of humans out there who can and do run the whole way through a 50k, but I'm not one of them.

Walking the hills keeps me from blowing myself up and being unable to even drag myself to the finish

This means walking in training is a really good idea, because it uses different muscle engagement than running, and you should train all aspects of what you expect to do in a race. 

Including eating and drinking the same things you intend to in an event, but that's a post for a different day 

Thing is, over the past few months I've incorporated walking into basically all of my runs. I've been having a bit of a tough time with fitness this year, and sometimes it's all I can do to keep my legs turning over at a run for more than a minute or two, even on flat pavement.

..which isn't a great feeling, let me tell you.

Here's an example from a recent 8k run:

Blue are run intervals, green are walk intervals, and orange is idle time (usually waiting at a stoplight or pausing to take a photo)

I try to push a bit when I run down to the market on Saturdays - partly due to the fact I'm trying to get there before everything is sold out - so I try to force myself to run all the paved sections, but I'm too clumsy and unfit to run all the technical bits without hurting myself.

Tripping and hitting my head on a rock is not a good way to get to the market, or to the start line of a race

Sometimes it's not the engine - it's the chassis. Particularly as I've been nudging mileage up in the last couple of months, I've been walking more and more of my runs just to survive: intentionally setting a limit on how many steps I'll run before I walk (I kind of always count anyway), in an effort to limit the pounding and spend a little more time just moving. 

Sometimes the intention is even to walk more than I run, though it seldom works out that way

As a result, I was left wondering - am I even still capable of running more than a handful of minutes at a time? I'd tried to push things a little earlier this week, but my longest run segment was only about four and a half minutes.

There were a couple of good-size hills that I never intended to run, but some good flat stretches as well

I mean, part of it has been due to heat and humidity: even after dark, the weather has just been gross for awhile. The heat drops, but the air still feels like trying to breathe soup. Before that, we had smoke from the wildfires that brought its own set of breathing issues. 

I might like to run through cemeteries, but I'd prefer running not to accelerate my permanent residency in one

Last night, though, the humidity finally dropped along with the temperature. By the time I was able to get away from my desk and get out the door around 10:30pm - oh how I love year-end audit season - it was down to 17c/63f. While I was tired and sore from everything since my training week is from Saturday to Thursday (Fridays off!), I also just wanted to be done so I could eat and shower and go the heck to sleep.

So I went for it.

Here goes nothing

Whether motivation or weather conditions or just plain luck, I was actually able to keep it going - I ran a little more than 4 miles, with no stops or walk breaks. My pace was nothing to brag about, and my legs are certainly more beat up than they have been for awhile for a run of such a short distance, but it feels pretty good to know I can actually do it.

Not super easy, but much more relaxed than I expected it to be

The output from SmashRun - which is a site I've used for years that gives you some pretty neat stats - was kind of impressive.

Fastest 6k in a year?

As I'm now getting close to a pretty big, scary race, I probably won't try this again any time soon - I like my walk intervals, and am now trying to let my body recover from the biggest block of running I've done in quite awhile - but I'm glad I can still control my pacing and truck along for awhile when I need to.

'cause what I've got coming is going to take every tool I've got to get through.

Happy running, y'all!