Yesterday's Speed Workout That Almost Killed Me...

So for those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that I am an "un"runner type runner.  For those of you who are newcomers, what I mean by this is that I was not made to be a runner.  Growing up, I was always the slightly overweight kid who got picked last in gym class.  In high school, I could barely run the mile.  Who would have known some ten plus (notice- I'm not emphasizing on the plus) years later, I would be running marathons?  Definitely not me!

Running is always a challenge for me, but the difference now is that I welcome the challenge.  Notice, I didn't say I like the challenge, I just welcome it.  Because I was not born to run like my sister or my friend Jess, I think I lose my stamina a lot quicker.  Even though I just did a 10K a couple of weeks ago, when I laced up my running shoes yesterday and got out there, it felt like I hadn't been running in forever.

Instead of taking it easy, which is what most would have done, I decided that today I was going to take my new running shoes for a speed run.  I got to the Ridgewood Duck Pond and I was all ready to race, but I forgot one crucial thing, my watch!  Because I couldn't really judge my pace all that well, I decided to keep tempo with an in shape college-aged guy who was out in front of me.  To be honest, I have no idea how fast I went; however, for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was going to throw up after I was done.  The crazy thing was that I only did 3 miles. 

The moral of this story is that I don't know if I am just that out-of-shape or chasing this guy just made me go that much faster?  I do know one thing though, now I understand why my mom always taught me not to chase a guy.  ;p