Last Wednesday I completed my weekly weight class, feeling a little sorer than the previous weeks. I used to despise it, but now I really enjoy doing weights, especially in a class setting. Growing up I never participated in group sports, so I suppose I am just now discovering my appreciation for suffering along side others.
I had made plans with a co-worker to go running after work on Friday at the trails, we were going to try to run our longest distance yet. As always, the battle was mostly mental. I spent three days convincing myself that I COULD do it, and I was GOING to try. Of course there were obstacles, I was sore from my weight training, ready to start the weekend, and the weather was nice but unusually warm for winter.
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.”
One of my goals for 2012 is to run my first half marathon. At this point, I cannot say I have any desire to run a full marathon. Why? Because I’m only half crazy! Thirteen point one miles seems sufficient enough for this girl. I have been training since November, but really started kicking up my mileage just recently. Friday it was time to run eight miles.
I meet my friend and we walked down about a half a mile to the trails. It really was a beautiful day! About seventy degrees warm with a cool sixteen mile an hour wind. Our game plan was simple, run four miles and then turn around and run four miles back. Not surprisingly, the first three were the hardest. (That is mostly due to the fact that I hadn’t fully convinced myself I could really do it.)
Of course, the first half of the journey we were running into the wind and sun. So the resistance was strong (and completely unnecessary) and our eyes were squinted. Fantastic. As if just running wasn’t hard enough? But that’s reality. Conditions are rarely perfect. Not only that, with each passing mile I could feel my already tight muscles get more and more unhappy with me.
But we pressed on. Miles four through six went by pretty quick. Mile seven was fun because I kept thinking about how proud I was to breach unchartered territory. Mile eight was a sort of a nightmare. By this point I was so close to being done that I just wanted to sprint, but my quads and hamstrings refused. My heart rate and breathing were actually very good and well controlled (shocking). I just wanted to be done.
My friend finished about a minute or so before me. My goal was 1:20:00 putting me at a ten minute mile; and my (mediocre) goal was 1:40:00. We finished in about 1:30:00. Not exceptional, but not bad. And hopefully it can only improve from there! Afterwards we were both so excited.
Then the reality set in, we still have to add five more miles and the race is in just six weeks. My estimated half marathon time is 2:30:00. Had you told me two years ago that I would be planning to run for two and a half hours, I would have told you that you were crazy! But today I choose to see it as a viable goal.
So what is the half crazy goal you’ve been dreaming about? Can you make it a reality? I think you can!
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