Hills, and rivers, and fields oh my!

So far my running has been awesome! The weather has been beautiful these past few days and so I’ve gotten a chance to run on several of the great trails in the area. Yesterday I got to run 5 miles right along side the beautiful Truckee River. Though parks and trees. It was gorgeous. I’ve even stopped listening to music during my runs so I can appreciate the scenery. Admittedly that was rough on my 7 mile run this last weekend. I had listened to the radio on the way home from work and the song Heartbreaker by Tiao Cruz was stuck in my head the entire run. I wanted to kill myself. I’ve found a good way to combat this. It may sound silly but its worked these last two runs. Instead of listening to music I chant in my head “I am a marathoner” to the beat of my running. Not only is it great for keeping me motivated and focused on the task at hand, but it ensures I don’t get annoying songs stuck in my head.

The song was not the only struggle for the 7 miler last week though. Since it was such a beautiful day I decided to take Jaxson and run on a new trail my co-worker had told me about. Unfortunately I did not think about the fact that I would be running on trails through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s. Foothills may not be mountains but wow they are some steep climbs. I frequently had to stop and walk. I’ve decided that I am going to beat these hills though. So I am not going to make sure at least once a week one of my shorter runs I go run the hills so that I can get better and maybe someday running straight up and down for 7 miles won’t be such a challenge anymore. Who knows. I used to think running for 3 miles straight was a challenge and now look at me! Tonight will be my first shorter mileage attempt so wish me luck!