Trust your training

And trust I did. My 12 miler today was UNBELIEVABLE! It felt so good. I had planned on running a loop from IOP to Sullivans Island to Mt. Pleasant and back to IOP...but as I crossed the Ravenel Bridge I was inspired by all those people to run there. If I was going to run there it meant one thing though. I was going to have to cross it TWICE! O.M.G. I have never ever done that and just crossing it once is a battle. I had had a great tempo run there on Thursday though so I thought I'd give it a try. Who knows? Maybe the bridge is my strength and secret to training.

I started off slow, as always. Still, I was encouraged. I had been having a great week and nothing could hold me down. Not now anyways. My playlist was, as my musical taste, eclectic. It was my favorite to date. I don't know if it's because the run went so well or it was just the music. Maybe I will never know.

My music, as my run, started off slow with Until the Whole World Hears, Airplanes, and I'm Letting Go. I have included my complete playlist at the bottom just so you can get inside my head a little bit more. The next several songs picked up the pace for me, which was perfect considering I was almost to the top the 1st time. (Tiff, I added Ms. New Booty just for you. hahaha) The whole time I was thinking, "Maybe I will just run it once and then do an out-and-back down Coleman Blvd. when I get back to Mt. Pleasant." I didn't have faith that I wanted to do this twice. I didn't really know how far I would have to run past the bridge into downtown before I reached 3 miles because technically the bridge is only 2.5 so if you do an out-and-back it's 5 miles total. I just figured I'd run til I hit 3. What else is there to do, right? So I did and it actually wasn't that far out. Only to the second red light. I hit 3 and turned around to go back. At the bottom there were 2 water fountains and I thought that would be perfect for when I'm coming back the second time to wash down my Gu. This trek up was tough. I had gained so much momentum coming down. It's hard to switch gears like that but you do what you have to. I've found that now rather than feeling like I'm pulling my legs through mud sometimes that my legs actually propel me forward. It's a good feeling.

My country songs got me up this one...along with Black and Yellow and Firework. The downhill felt good. I was trying to hold back so that I don't get too fast because that can easily happen here. I told my friend Courtney about this once and she said, "Just tuck and roll." Hilarious and I think it everytime I'm going down that hill. When I got to the bottom I wanted to do it again. So I did.

I stopped at the water fountain first because I need some water after those 6 miles and I was hot. It was in the 50s but your temp rises when running. And I realized when I got home today that I had gotten some sun!! Wow! I had forgotten that existed. It certainly was exciting though. It's not really attractive to have an ipod armband tan but who cares! I think my face is actually a little burnt.

So anyway, Eye of the Tiger got me back up the 1st hill the 2nd time. It's funny that that has become my "powersong". On the downhill I was smiling I was so happy. I had kicked out 7.5 so far and still felt good and strong. I also had Yeah by Usher to thank for that and Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars. I found this song because it was free on itunes but it is one of my new favorites. The beat is infectious and great for running too. Then I found today the line "Keep walkin', runnin', and runnin' for miles." Awesome. Again I was still smiling. I know I looked like a goob but today I felt like a runner, like for real. I was running with my ponytail whippin' around behind me and happy to be there when it hit me. I AM A RUNNER.

The rest of the run went without incident except for those water fountains that I said would be great for mile 9 when I take my Gu. Yeah, they didn't work. I was ok though. Power through. I was running at one point looked down and my watch tells me I'm running on HMP! Yes! I finished up the 12 mile run in just under 2 hours which gives me tons of hope for my finishing time. My last song was Wagon Wheel which I added because Katie (she's from Asheville), whom I work with said that everytime I say I'm from Johnson City, TN she thinks of that song. It gave me a little bit of home and all those who love me there.

12 mile playlist
1. until the whole world hears - casting crowns
2. airplanes - BOB
3. i'm letting go - fracesca battistelli
4. the time - BEPs
5. hold it against me - britney
6. perfect - pink
7. ms. new booty - bubba sparxxx
8. crazy dreams - carrie underwood
9. evacuate the dancefloor - cascada
10.wildflower - jane dear girls
11.smoke a little smoke - eric church
12.firework - katy perry
13.black and yellow - wiz khalifa
14.bullets in the gun - toby keith
15.bulletproof - la roux
16.im coming home - diddy and dirty money
17.grenade - bruno mars
18.eye of the tiger - survivor
19.say hey - michael franti
20.are you gonna kiss me or not - thompson square
21.yeah - usher
22.barton hollow - the civil wars
23.stuck like glue - sugarland
24.fight like a girl - bomshel
25.boom boom pow - BEPs
26.forget you - cee lo green
27.imma be - BEPs
28.black or white - mj
29.haven't met you yet - michael buble
30.love sex magic - justin timberlake
31.gotta be - desree
32.romeo - dolly parton and friends (hehe)
33.wagon wheel - old crow medicine show