5 miles? Yup, I can run that!

Whooohoooo!!!! 12 hour day work week is over and I survived! Last night in rehearsal, I started to feel it really catching up to me, but I came home, went to bed early, and feel much more ready to take on today! Let’s back track to Thursday morning. Up until Thursday, I had been doing all my training runs by myself, which I actually don’t mind, and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy running with anyone else to be honest. I was afraid one of us would slow the other down or I would feel self conscious, and it also seemed pointless being that I am not someone who really talks while I run. Regardless, I met Kara bright and early Thursday morning at a lake in Chandler to go for a run together.

The sun was just barely coming up and it was beautiful outside. I was surprised to REALLY enjoy the company! The route ended up being kind of an adventure. We were running, then all of the sudden the trail ended and we had to jump a couple low fences and run through this apartment complex. It was different, but it kept things interesting, that’s for sure! We discovered that 1 lap around the lake was about a mile, so we made three laps with all negative splits! Whoot! I believe it was something like 10:47 (it takes these legs about a mile to warm up, and I find that taking that first mile nice and slow makes a HUGE difference to me!), 10:20, 9:53. I could actually look it up in my Garmin for something more exact, but that takes actually getting up off my butt which is totally not happening right now haha. Our last lap, we encountered a flock of ducks just hangin out in our pathway that for some reason totally cracked us up. It is so nice to have someone to share the experience with and LAUGH with! Luckily, Kara and I are really at the same place fitness wise, which makes sense considering we have pretty much the same work out routine. I discovered that I don’t actually have to be a hermit with my running, and company is an amazing thing!

Yesterday, I grudgingly took the day off from working out. It’s been helping so much with my energy level and overall happiness to wake up early and get it finished. I feel more accomplished and productive during the rest of the day! But I knew that since I was running a new distance today, I needed the break. So yesterday, I slept in (well until 6:45 haha), went to work, had an amazing dinner break at True Foods with my assistant choreographer Tasha, and returned to the theater for our final rehearsal before tech. We had a great rehearsal and I am so excited for this show.

If you live in the Phoenix area, please please please, come see Aladdin Jr @ Greasepaint! We open this coming Friday and run for 2 weekends with Friday shows @ 7pm and Sat/Sun matinees @ 2pm. I’m really proud of the work the kids, and all of the artistic staff has put into this show. My harem dancers are rock stars and they impress me every single night!

Okay, onto this morning’s excitingness!!! So now that I am full on in half marathon training mode, it means that my long run every week is a distance I have never run before. Up until I began my training, the farthest I had gone EVER was 3 miles and it was NOT easy. 2 weeks ago it was 4 miles, last week was the 5K (not a new distance, but my first race!) and today was 5 MILES!! Kara arrived at my house at 6:30 this morning. I had planned our run to end at Great Harvest Bread Company which is right across the street from Seattle Espresso (best coffee EVER) and a cute little farmers market. I LOVE having something fun as the end destination of my run. It makes it all worth it!

I was pleasantly surprised at how great I felt during most of the run. We took it slow and steady and I didn’t start to really feel tired until about 4.5 miles. We are not the fastest runners out there, but today Kara and I ran 5 miles for the very first time!

We got close to negative splits, but no cigar. We did do mile 5 in 9:33, however! I am still so amazed by things I never thought I could do. It makes me wonder how many other things in life I perceive as unachievable, or out of reach, that I could actually accomplish. I am a very goal oriented person, and there is almost nothing that makes me feel better than meeting my goals. Today I feel awesome. After we finished, we enjoyed a delicious sample of pumpkin chocolate chip bread (OMG AMAZING!!!) and egg white and turkey sandwiches. I could only eat half–I just don’t have much of an appetite RIGHT after I run. Of course, now I’m hungry again. Then we walked across the street and I did something I have not done in a LONG time.

I used to be awful about my coffee drinks. I had no idea just how bad they were for me, and my very favorite was always Seattle Espresso’s White Russian Mocha. I haven’t one in well over a year, but today I treated myself to a 12 oz double shot non fat hot white russian mocha. It was like heaven.

Then, we walked around the farmers market a bit, I bought some cilantro and a butternut squash. Random, right? Well I ran into Dani and she mentioned a recipe for butternut squash cupcakes which sounded amazing so I had to buy one. After, you know, dancing around with it like a total freak. Can’t take me anywhere 🙂 Now I desperately need a shower and a snack, then I’m off to 6 hour tech rehearsal! Happy Saturday everyone!