4 MILES!?!?!

I.RAN.FOUR.MILES!!!!

now those of you reading this might think, big whoop, 4 miles is the distance between here and my favorite ice cream shop; i run/bike/walk/hop that far every day.
well, to you, i say way to go. some of you might even say that 4 miles is 1/4th of what you run on a regular basis.
and of you i ask, how do you have the time?
but i'm training for my first 10k and anything beyond 2 miles (okay, so the 5k's i've run seem too far in the distance) seems like a big, big deal.

there are two hardships about running, or let's just say three.
the first is that it's almost laughable to call it running in my case. a jog would be more appropriate though now i need to put on parachute pants or amazing jogging suit and call the word (jog) like the decade it was used in -- the 80's.

the second is that i have runners trots issues. go here to get a sense of what i'm talking about. AND i don't drink coffee, can't wake up any earlier than i do to train NOR train near a bathroom -- any suggestions out there? if only this could work.

the last, and most powerful (though the 2nd is pretty potent too), is mental. my thoughts could stop a run/jog mid-stride every time i run more than 20 minutes. it's like a record is skipping and playing the same thing over and over again "you need to stop -- you can't go any further -- you definitely have to finish at the end of this lap" or something similar. this can begin as early as the first 5 minutes, but really explodes into serious mind game territory around 2.5 - 3.25 miles.
the way i keep my stride? first, i start readjusting my goals in my head. i still plan to go the same distance (maybe), but i break it down into smaller increments. so, instead of counting once i've finished another mile, i start by counting half miles. if my mind keeps battling, i switch to quarter mile counts. you could call this countering the mental games my head plays with new mental games.
another combat to this is switching up the music. i wish someone who has my exact musical taste created the perfect running playlist that worked perfectly with my overactive though life and with my pace. any volunteers? also a friend recommended podcasts as a way of combating her mental running issues but i haven't been able to think of the right podcasts. any suggestions here?

and finally, i think of other things. my battery was out on my mp3 player for two separate runs and i'm in the process of dreaming up a garden for my back yard so i just looked at all the gardens/yards/plants and took mental notes of what i liked and didn't. i prefer music though. i'm used to it now. another day i tried to come up with a plan for how to execute a "preschool" on the days i care for two extra kids. and so on. i also pray for anything that comes to mind.
well, that's all. FOUR. and proud of it (the jogging!)
i'll let you know how the next milestones go, beloved readers!