Reflecting on my running journey to date, I'm so grateful that I had the resolve to listen to that little voice inside that said "Let's try running." Mind you, the last adjective that would ever be used to describe me is athletic. Always the last one picked in gym class, the eternal handicap to my peers. And there is the obvious fact that I'm carrying an extra 60 pounds on my medium frame. Huffing, puffing and jiggling for all the world to see isn't for the faint of heart. It takes alot of courage to lace up and begin.
And here I sit this morning after completing a 7.22 mile training run, PROUD. For the first time, I've trained further than half the miles necessary for my 1/2 marathon event. My pace was slower that my shorter runs, but still well within the time I need to compete. I just completed a 1/4 of a marathon!!! That is incredible!!
Lessons learned at the 6 month mark:
- How tickled I am that the "turn around point" at the begining of my training runs is now the marker that I know I'm in the home-stretch.
- The first mile is never easy.
- Somehow throwing my hair in pigtails makes it all bearable. And garners a few smiles on the trail.
- Or maybe it's the cut-up batman and subpop shirts. :-)
- An encouraging amount of smiles come my way each time.
- Just how wonderful a shower can be - hot and cold.
- How short a distance a mile seems now.
- My mind clears out all the chatter and noise, although that can be NIN beating it out of me.
- It's become fun somewhere along the way.
- There are always moments when the mind games need to be deployed. Continue running until we hit either that tree down there or the interval switches which ever come first. Funny, how I've gotten good at the timing being around the same for both alternatives.
- Energy conservation. The differences between shorter sprinting runs vs sustaining a longer run.
- Being mindful of the objective and not getting too discouraged when the results are askewed. Example - not beating myself up over my per mile rate being slower, when the goal was completing the longer distance. Today the time was not relevant.
- Visable progress - going further, faster, feeling better doing it.
- Realizing the only one you are competing with is yourself. Someone will always be stronger and faster. Bless them and send them on their way.
12 weeks today til the Vegas 1/2 Marathon. Right on schedule.
Comments