Running is my jam. It's my go to fitness activity because there's not much required to start. But running doesn't come super easy to me, and not because I'm prone to injury or anything, but rather I am prone to the lazy.
When I really got into running a couple years ago, it was nothing to get up every morning for a quick run, it was like brushing my teeth. Routine. That's how it has to be with exercise, you have to make it routine, you have to make it something you do, like getting your fruits and vegetables each day or showering once in a while.
I was running all the time, and I started to get a little obsessed and a little mean to myself when I didn't meet my goals. That's when I started running less, because I wasn't enjoying it anymore. It's supposed to be fun, right? You're supposed to hate it a little, but love it more. I didn't, so I stopped. Now I am getting back to loving it.
But I seriously lack motivation sometimes. I've struggled with my weight all my life, but as long as I don't binge and eat like a pig, I maintain the weight I'm at now, even if I'm not comfortable in my own skin. So it's easy for me to just choose sleep or couch time rather than run. Which is beyond ridiculous because exercise isn't just about losing weight, it's about being healthy, fit and (hopefully) living longer.
So I sign up for races. They help motivate me (most of the time - sometimes they don't).
Next month (25th to be exact) I am supposed to run my 4th (fourth?!) half marathon. I never thought I would be a runner or actually enjoy races. But there's nothing like finishing a race, all the emotions crash into me as I stumble over that line. I love it.
Am I ready? No. What is ready, anyway? I have a surprising ability to run a race when I haven't been training (see last half marathon) but it's not smart. I could injure myself. I barely complete it, just surviving. I don't want to just survive, I want to excel. Who doesn't? I want to be good. I want to be better than old me.
This link up is just what I needed (thanks Alyssa and Tracy!) to get my butt into gear. What can one really do in less than a month? I have been running but not long distances and not consistently. I have run one 10 miler in the last couple of months and it was not great.
I have 3 weekends left (shit!) before the race, which means 2-3 long runs. I can do some medium length races during the week and sprinkle some shorter runs in there as well. I won't meet my dream of under 2 hours, but I am confident I can run the whole thing and hopefully do better than my last race.
So that's what I'm working towards right now - running the whole race, and beating my last half marathon time.
Just to recap, for myself:
2011: 2:37:15
2012: 2:04:48
2014: 2:39:15
Wish me luck....
What are you working towards?
