you might be aware that i took up that running thing again this year. i dabbled with it back in 2008. but i literally hated every step that i took. i "ran" this same 10K then (and by running, i mean i sprinted/hyperventilated/walked/considered stopping/jogged/walked/jogged/cried my way to the finish. you can read about it here
i felt good about finishing that race, i really did. and then? i promptly gave up running. all thoughts of ever one day completing a 1/2 (or, gasp, a FULL) marathon, quickly fell by the wayside. i crossed the 10K off of my bucket list and simply stopped running. a bit like Forrest Gump, i was, simply, done running.
but that was three years, and a lifetime, ago. i've been running on the weekends, amped by the new strength i have found through Jillian Michaels and her love-to-hate-em workouts. i actually find myself looking forward to that *me* time. i don't love it. but i'm not cursing every step, either. i'm getting faster. i feel good.
the race this past Saturday was amazing for me. i had a game plan, and knew that i wasn't going to blow my pace in the first mile. i created a playlist to help me keep steady. i looked around at the scenery. (it's a beautiful course, taking you over the Intracoastal Waterway, through the marshes and along the Atlantic Ocean). i ran every step at a comfortable steady, slightly-increasing-each-mile, pace.
and i smiled. a lot.
i finished, and i wasn't last (two of my personal goals.) i waved and flashed thumbs-up at every stranger who cheered for me. when an older man rolled down his window and asked, "Are you in the lead?" I simply replied, "Yes!" with a huge grin. i completed the race a full five minutes faster than i did in 2008.
in 2008, i ran a 10K as a participant.
in 2011, i ran a 10K as an athlete.
8 comments:
This? Is all sorts of awesome. I love that you ran it, but I love the attitude change that much more. It's like "I did this thing that I once hated doing, but now I want to do it even more."
It's kind-of like when you find a great sex partner.
*ahem*
The "not last" goal amused me - especially knowing that there are plenty of people who likely didn't even finish (and, how do these people calculate where among the pack that they finished). I know there is a phenomenon where people sign up for a marathon just to get the original rush of the starting gate (and it's awesome), but usually bow out before mile 5.
You need to keep us abreast of when you're running your first half (which, strangely, I have yet to do on my own . . . I mean, I've done 13.1 mile runs aplenty, but I've yet to actually enter a half-marathon).
way to go....
So awesome! I teared up a little reading this only because it always makes me so happy to hear when someone reaches a goal and it is so super motivating. I bought a really nice pair of walking shoes and hopefully after next week's ortho-checkup I'll get the green light to train for a 5K I hope to do in the fall.... walking of course but that's okay because got to start somewhere.
Congratulations and love hearing about your progress.
That is awesome. Congrats!
WOW!!!
GOOD job!!!
I am absolutely amazed by runners... amazing.
I've been thinking about you with all the extreme weather back East. Sounds like you are good!?
Very inspiring! Thanks for posting this.
That's incredible. I admire you could take in the scenery and experience. I'm still in the I-hate-every-step-except-the-last-one stage.
Kudos. Kudos.
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! -carlo
Post a Comment