I ran 7 miles today and I had FUN doing it!
I was supposed to have a 6 mile group run with the Team in Training group this morning, but as usual, the run was mapped longer than 6 miles (I’m on to you, coaches!). Anyway, it ended up being almost exactly 7 miles. I remember the day I signed up for Team in Training and got my training schedule. I remember my stomach tying itself in knots as I looked at the increasing mileage for the Saturday long runs. I specifically remember looking at this week’s scheduled 6 mile run with a heavy heart, seriously second guessing what I had signed myself up for. I never thought I would be able to do it. It might as well have read 6,000 miles because 6 miles seemed equally unrealistic.
To be really honest, even as I signed my Team in Training registration form and paid my registration fee, I really didn’t have the faith in myself that I’d be able to accomplish the goal I was setting out to hit. I just couldn’t imagine how someone as out of shape as I was going into this would ever be able to run 13.1 miles with just a few short months of training.
I also have to admit that as committed as I’ve been to Team in Training and to the training schedule I’ve been following, I’ve second guessed my decision to train for this ½ marathon almost every single run for the past 2 months. With every long run on Saturdays, I would find myself dragging far behind everyone else, wondering how in the world I ever thought I would be able to complete 13.1 miles. Every single run had me thinking I had made a ridiculous mistake signing up to do this. I felt like such a fraud for making people believe I could accomplish this goal. A goal that would ulitmately end in me completely embarrassing myself when I couldn’t finish the ½ marathon because I sucked so bad at this running thing. I would envision myself giving up halfway through the actual event, walking the rest of the way with my head down, hoping no one I knew would see just badly I was doing, how miserably I was failing.
But something amazing happened this week. All the training, all the conditioning, all the miles I’ve struggled to run the past two months – it all came together for me this week. Everything finally started to click in my last two runs. I can do this. I can TOTALLY do this! Not once in the last two runs did I second guess the commitment I had made. Not once did I feel I would have to give up. Instead, I felt amazing. I felt strong! I felt confident. I felt like I could run forever. I felt excited at the idea of running 13.1 miles. And most important of all, I had FUN!
I ran the entire 7 mile run today. I didn’t walk ANY of it. Not at all! I didn’t even feel the slightest need to stop at all the entire time. And the kicker – it was a hilly freaking run! It was the first group run that we’ve had with some really tough hills, and I ran them all. Every single one!
And to top it all off, I ran my 7 miles today with a pace of 11’17″ which is amazing for me! My pace for the almost 6 mile run last Saturday was 11’43″ without hills, and I was thrilled with that one! I’m sure you can see why I’m in total shock at this week’s pace!
But the best part of it all is truly the fact that I had FUN again today! I didn’t at all care that I was one of the last people to come across the finish line today. I didn’t mind in the least that I didn’t have my iPod on and music pumping into my ears. None of it mattered today because I was just enjoying the whole experience today. I enjoyed the scenery as it went by me. I enjoyed the sounds of the world around me. I listened to my feet hitting the ground and the rhythm of my breathing. I waved to other runners and bikers, smiling as we passed each other. Never once did I think “Oh my God, is this over yet?” Not once! I ran strong today, and I had FUN doing it!
I never could have imagined I would be typing a post like this. I mean, just a few weeks ago I was a search and rescue mission when I couldn’t even run 3 miles without walking in my group run. Less than two months ago, I couldn’t even run 1 mile without stopping to walk. Today I ran 7 full miles, with hills even, and I honestly could have easily run further.
Today I accomplished something I never, ever, thought I could. And I had a heck of a lot of FUN doing it!
Keep on running!
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