Jenna’s BSR Diary, Week 7: Heck Yeah, I Ran 10 Miles!

Jenna Bergen

MONDAY, APRIL 11
Today was beautiful. A runner’s dream weather. Anyone with a brain would have run outside. I, however, went to the gym and logged three miles on the treadmill. Why, you ask? Have I gone crazy? Perhaps. Or I just have a Netflix addiction. Either one. Watching episode 24 of Friday Night Lights on my iPhone sounded a lot more fun than listening to my same old playlist. I definitely need new running songs. Any suggestions for some new tunes?

TUESDAY, APRIL 12
I would have liked to make it to yoga tonight, but we’re in the middle of production for May’s Top Doctors feature so I had to forgo my mat session. I ended up taking our brand-new Top Docs list home with me and reading the proof in bed while periodically looking over at Lloyd* and saying things like, “Toe-to-hand surgery?! Can you believe that’s actually a specialty?” before finally calling it quits at 11:30PM. I fell asleep thankful for my health and hoping not to dream about doctors and their crazy surgeries. Oh, the life of a health editor.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
Today’s weather wasn’t nearly as nice as Monday’s, so I was once again at the gym watching Friday Night Lights via Netflicks. I realize it’s not great for my neck to be staring down at a screen while running, so I made sure to look straight ahead and just listen for most of the four miles. (Having Netflix on your iPhone is a great way to cajole yourself into working out if you’re really not in the mood to walk or run on the treadmill. It makes the time fly by.) I felt really strong and the four miles went by easily. I’m determined to run 10 miles on Saturday even through my schedule says eight. (Side note: I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you’re a newbie and haven’t run a longer distances before—taking yourself up to eight before Broad Street is plenty. I just know that I’ll mentally feel more prepared if I run 10 before the race. After completing the half marathon in November, I know my body is capable of going the distance and that I could have pushed myself a little harder throughout this year’s training but I wanted to take it easy on my joints.)

THURSDAY, APRIL 14
As I missed yoga on Tuesday, I was all set to make it to class tonight. I had my pretty yoga bag all packed and I was really looking forward to it. One great stretch session today, and then I’d rest tomorrow before running 10 miles on Saturday. Sounded perfect! And then: I got to work and realized I had forgotten that it was our awesome Web designer’s last day and we were sending him off with drinks at the Continental after work. So … I missed yoga. I was bummed out, but I did have a great time with my co-workers. We ended up grabbing a late dinner at El Rey. I wasn’t in the mood for greasy Tex-Mex, so I ordered the ceviche. A great pick if you want something light, low-fat, low-carb and packed with protein.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15
Yoga was again derailed thanks to Top Docs. I wasn’t happy to miss so many workouts this week, but I’m so excited and proud of the feature that I didn’t really care all that much. I did make myself go to the gym and do a mini abs and arms session before calling it a week and heading home. I didn’t want to tax my legs too much seeing that tomorrow is my pseudo crack at Broad Street. The only downside: It’s supposed to rain buckets tomorrow afternoon, which means I need to get up early or prepare myself for a very soggy 10 miles. Lloyd’s leg is bugging him, so I know I’ll be running this long distance solo. I’m actually really looking forward to it. Running alone is sort of like flying alone. It makes me feel empowered, like I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Can someone please tell me if there is a law against starting construction at 6AM on a weekend morning? This is the third weekend in a row where I’ve been jolted awake to the sound of buzz saws and very loud, very annoying contstruction workers shouting back and forth right behind my house. I tried to sleep through the noise, very unsuccessfully, until about 7:45. I was not happy. Swearing as if I had a hard hat on myself, I went downstairs to make a pot of very strong, very black coffee. I then checked the hour-by-hour account of what the day would hold weather-wise on weather.com. Rain, rain and more rain. It even said it was raining right then, even though a look out my window showed nothing more than a gray, yet very dry, sky.

At that moment, I was so tired that I considered scraping the run and going to yoga instead. I could run Sunday, when the weather was supposed to be gorgeous. But as the coffee started to do its work, I realized I didn’t want to have the run hanging over my head tomorrow. Rain or no rain, I was going to run today!

So, I started the slow process of getting myself ready. I drank another cup of coffee and ate an apple and a cup of Greek yogurt as I plotted my route on Google Maps. Then, I hunted down my few pieces of clothing that wick away sweat (no one would ever guess I’m a health editor by looking at my fitness wardrobe. I seriously need to invest in some more workout clothes!) and eventually put myself together. I was out the door by 10:20AM or so, and the second I started running I felt awesome. The day was windy, but nice and cool. For the first five miles I felt strong and powerful. My training had paid off! The trees along Kelly Drive were gorgeous, and I loved that it was less crowded than usual thanks to the inclement weather prediction. I didn’t feel the first few drops of rain until about mile 7 or so, and it didn’t start to pour until I was about a quarter mile from home. I couldn’t believe it! The run had flown by, and I was shocked to see it was a little after noon when I clomped into my kitchen, breathing hard. It wasn’t until I stopped running that I actually felt like I had run 10 miles. I iced my knees for as long as I could stand before I had to peel off my wet layers and jump into the shower to warm up. I enjoyed the sound of the rain the rest of the day, happy that I’d accomplished my goal. Way to go me! I also took advantage of that extra calorie burn and helped myself to some popcorn at Hanna that evening. P.S.: It’s totally worth risking bed bugs to see it in the theater. Best suspense movie I’ve seen in a long time.

* Name has been changed to protect the innocent.