My goodness. 10 miles is brutal. Who said this would get
easier?! It didn’t help that I missed my long run last weekend because of a
family camping trip… The humidity level was near 100% and my pace got a little
bit worse each mile. But, I can proudly say that I did it. Well, I gotta be
honest- I almost did it. My running
app started itself over and I misjudged my distance. By the time I got home I
was at 9.64. I had to stop. I couldn’t move another muscle. My legs and hips
were screaming and burning. I was almost crying. Ok. There were a few
tears. I immediately took an ice
bath. The most painful yet soothing thing I have ever experienced. I feel like
some sort of sick sadist. I mean, who voluntarily does this to themselves?! I
can already tell you why I do it.
The satisfaction of reaching a goal is worth far more than the pain the
training causes.
I have learned
a few running lessons lately: running socks are crucial!! Today was my first
long run without ‘em and I regretted it at 1.5 miles! I had to stop and take
off my shoe to make sure I didn’t have a splinter in my foot- nope. It was a
blister!! My running socks make my feet claustrophobic, so I thought I could go
without them. Bad idea. A pop up rainstorm improves pace. A dead skunk in the
middle of the road improves pace. Attitude is everything (and I have GOT to
stop telling myself that I can’t do it). Pace isn’t everything. Just because I
run a certain time for 5 miles does not mean I can double it for a 10 miler. ;)
(Or a 9.64 miler lol)
I just spent several minutes on http://www.usafmarathon.com/
and it makes my knees weak just thinking about it!! 41 days!! I’ve been at my
training for almost 4 months. And it makes me physically ill, yet so so excited
that this is actually coming to fruition. I’ve consistently slacked on my
weekly runs. (who has time to run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday?!) But, I am
not missing another run from now until race day. My body needs the consistency
and the endurance training. To date, I’ve run 233 miles. That makes my heart
happy. :o) I love the fact that time passes no matter what- so if I would not
have been blessed with the idea to do this the time would’ve still just gone
right on by. But, in the four months that I’ve been working on this I’ve logged
over 50 runs and over 230 miles.
And I truly feel like a different person.
I feel as though I was led to running for a great reason…
Last summer my family experienced a ton of turmoil. This led me and my husband
back to church. Well, this summer has been more of the same and I know that
running was given to me to be an outlet. An outlet to remove the angst and
emotion associated with the poison and drama that seems to be everywhere. To be
honest, there are days that I have to work really hard to be happy. I do a lot
of praying and I’ve done a lot of soul searching. I know I’m so far from
perfect, but I also know right from wrong. I have no intention of sitting back
and letting mean people walk all over me. While their decisions affect everyone
and this cannot be avoided- how I react to them is up to me. The manipulation,
guilt trips, bullying and lies do not weigh me down- because I run. God gave me the gift of running to
assist with coping. It gives me ample time to admire nature, pray, be alone,
and gain peace. It works
magnificently. Do I get sad? Yes. Sometimes. Do I have hope and faith?
Absolutely.
I finished reading The Bible and all I can say is Wow. Who was
I before I cracked it open for the first time? I don’t know. But my roots are a
lot deeper now than they were 5 or 6 months ago when I started. I’m doing a one-year
reading plan now and I love it! It is teaching me so much! That, along with
running gives me a whole new, more positive outlook on everything. And I can
feel God working in our lives and for our future right this second. It makes me
giddy. I can’t wait to see what it may bring. :o)
