I'm exaggerating...but just a tiny bit.
So Melissa and I conquered 20 miles on Saturday! It really was a great morning! We started bright and early and really felt pretty solid about the effort as a whole. We met up with our friend, Theresa for miles 7-10 which was a nice treat and then towards the end, my boys and husband were rollerblading on trail and I got another pick-me-up by getting some hugs in.
It feels so good to get that 20 under my belt. I really feel good about this race in 3 weeks. I know I can do it and that feels awesome.
So this morning I woke up and it was windy and cold and raining. I knew I'd have to run today, but the weather was really bumming me out. Then, in my FB feed, I saw the following quote:
It is Monday. Yesterday's workout was intense. My legs are tired. My bed feels so good. I could just sleep in and take the day off. But I am a runner. So I drag my weary body out of bed knowing that in less than an hour I will be thanking myself for lacing up my shoes and heading out the door. Time to get to work!
I'm not going to lie and say I was gung-ho about going out and getting it done in the wind and rain today, but it did make me think. And then when I did get my behind out there, this quote was the impetus that got me thinking about what I've learned from running:
1) YES I CAN! Yes I can run 20 miles! Yes I can lose 90lbs! Yes I can be an athlete! Yes I can push myself harder, faster and stronger than I ever thought I could. Belief in oneself can not be under-estimated. Everyone needs to try it. THIS MEANS YOU! And if you don't really believe the good things you're trying to tell yourself? Fake it until you make it, my friend. Seriously.
2) Persistence. I have never kept up with a hobby as long as this. When I talk to people who don't run, many say "Oh, I HATE running. I just can't do it." I'm always quick to comment that I hated it at first too. I really did. It hurt. I hated the way it made me breathe so hard, like my lungs and heart were going to explode. I hated how my body jiggled and wiggled while I was running. I was embarrassed to go out and run because I thought people would be laughing at me and the way I looked. It took me weeks to not hate it and months to fall in love. I am not saying that running is for everyone. Clearly, not everything is. I don't think I'll ever play guitar, and that's ok. But if you really want to try running, it may take a while to get to the happy place.
3)Tenacity: Tenacity is similar to persistence but with a side of toughness. I'm stubborn. My husband and my parents will tell you that this is a truth. My older son has inherited his stubborn streak honestly. But running has helped me funnel this somewhat negative character trait into something very positive and rewarding. Do not get me wrong, I still procrastinate and whine sometimes. But a little wind, or snow, or hills are not going to stop me.
4) Humility: One of the best things about running and the nature of races is that they are both highly personal and communal at the same time. You may run a race with 1000 or more people, but most people are just running their own races...but with a lot of really cool other people. There will always be people faster, stronger, more efficient than me. There were many people much older than me that smoked my March Madness Half time! I was 762/966! There was a 72 year old man that ran it 18 minutes faster than I did. How awesome is that? Even thought there are 999 other people around (well, not at the end, many of them are gone by the time I'm at the end!!), when you cross that finish line, you've conquered and achieved something so personally gratifying and it doesn't really matter what other people's times are.
So those were my thoughts on today's run. Have I convinced anyone to start running?
Let's not forget my stats:
Starting weight: 182.6
4-18-2014: 166.4
4-25-2014: 166.4
I'm so not even worrying about the scale for these next three weeks. It has become increasingly clear that I need to listen to my body. That means sleep and eat when I need to. The only thing that is important right now it fueling my body properly.
Have an awesome week, everyone and thanks for reading!