Reflections Before the Half Marathon
This weekend I am running my first half marathon (that's 13.1 miles). I hope it's not my last.
I am clearly running the gamut on emotions. Sunday I was so excited I could hardly stand it. It was like Christmas, birthdays, and night before you went for your driver's license excited. I can't wait to see if I can actually do this. Monday I got nervous. What if I had clocked my neighborhood wrong (and believe me- I've clocked it several times just to be sure. I come up with the same number: 4.1 every time)? What if the times I've thought I've run 7, 9, or even 10, I actually ran 3 or 4 miles less?! So the most I've actually run is 6 miles?! Today I am reflective.
See, I decided to do this on a whim. Way back in June I started back really running. When I signed up to do this Half Marathon, I was only able to run 2 miles, but my friend who signed up had another friend say the race course was flat. No matter that I was 11 miles away from being even close to finishing, it was flat- which in my mind went like this: How Hard Can It Be?!
So even if I stink it up on Saturday (and I really really hope I don't because I really want to say I did this) here's how I've changed in the last 5 months:
1. In June a mile was forever. Now a mile is nothing. Two miles is nothing. Three miles . . . not all that much. Four miles is a run. I like 5 and 6 miles. I don't mind it. It's long enough that I feel like I really worked but not so long I am completely done.
2. I've lost 14 pounds without trying. I just made better food choices, drank more water, and kept running. I never neglected myself. I never felt like I was doing without. That I was starving. I still eat chocolate every day- I just eat a lot less.
3. Food is important to running. I have to eat. The longer distances I run- the more important food is. If I eat like crap the night before a long run- I can hang it up. I am not going to be able to run the next day. I am lethargic and have no energy. What I eat before I run makes a big difference too. I have to eat and eat good if I want to run good.
4. When I ran before I had Alexa, there was this road that I attempted once or twice. It's long and really hilly. I never could really run it. I sacked out a quarter of the way through and walked every time. Since June, I've run it 4 or 5 times and I've never had to stop and walk.
5. Shoes make a big difference. Doug is right- I should have gotten new shoes a few weeks before this weekend and not the week before. Plus I shouldn't have changed the type of shoe I run in. I am cursing myself for this choice. Oh well.
5. This is the one that touches me the most. Andrew is proud of me. I surprised him last week and ate lunch with him, before I left I mentioned to his teacher that his grandparents would be picking him up this Friday and Andrew spoke up and said, "Yea! My mom and Dad are going to Savannah so my mom can run 13 miles!!!" Later that day we went to pick up Alexa and I made sure the grandparents were on The List to pick her up too and Andrew told the directors, "Mom is going to run 13 miles that's why my grandparents are picking us up!!" When I took him to the dermatologist last week, he told him too. I didn't realize he realized it was a big deal. I haven't made a big deal out it. Now I am not only proud of myself for myself, but proud of myself for the example I set, because this is a good one.
I am clearly running the gamut on emotions. Sunday I was so excited I could hardly stand it. It was like Christmas, birthdays, and night before you went for your driver's license excited. I can't wait to see if I can actually do this. Monday I got nervous. What if I had clocked my neighborhood wrong (and believe me- I've clocked it several times just to be sure. I come up with the same number: 4.1 every time)? What if the times I've thought I've run 7, 9, or even 10, I actually ran 3 or 4 miles less?! So the most I've actually run is 6 miles?! Today I am reflective.
See, I decided to do this on a whim. Way back in June I started back really running. When I signed up to do this Half Marathon, I was only able to run 2 miles, but my friend who signed up had another friend say the race course was flat. No matter that I was 11 miles away from being even close to finishing, it was flat- which in my mind went like this: How Hard Can It Be?!
So even if I stink it up on Saturday (and I really really hope I don't because I really want to say I did this) here's how I've changed in the last 5 months:
1. In June a mile was forever. Now a mile is nothing. Two miles is nothing. Three miles . . . not all that much. Four miles is a run. I like 5 and 6 miles. I don't mind it. It's long enough that I feel like I really worked but not so long I am completely done.
2. I've lost 14 pounds without trying. I just made better food choices, drank more water, and kept running. I never neglected myself. I never felt like I was doing without. That I was starving. I still eat chocolate every day- I just eat a lot less.
3. Food is important to running. I have to eat. The longer distances I run- the more important food is. If I eat like crap the night before a long run- I can hang it up. I am not going to be able to run the next day. I am lethargic and have no energy. What I eat before I run makes a big difference too. I have to eat and eat good if I want to run good.
4. When I ran before I had Alexa, there was this road that I attempted once or twice. It's long and really hilly. I never could really run it. I sacked out a quarter of the way through and walked every time. Since June, I've run it 4 or 5 times and I've never had to stop and walk.
5. Shoes make a big difference. Doug is right- I should have gotten new shoes a few weeks before this weekend and not the week before. Plus I shouldn't have changed the type of shoe I run in. I am cursing myself for this choice. Oh well.
5. This is the one that touches me the most. Andrew is proud of me. I surprised him last week and ate lunch with him, before I left I mentioned to his teacher that his grandparents would be picking him up this Friday and Andrew spoke up and said, "Yea! My mom and Dad are going to Savannah so my mom can run 13 miles!!!" Later that day we went to pick up Alexa and I made sure the grandparents were on The List to pick her up too and Andrew told the directors, "Mom is going to run 13 miles that's why my grandparents are picking us up!!" When I took him to the dermatologist last week, he told him too. I didn't realize he realized it was a big deal. I haven't made a big deal out it. Now I am not only proud of myself for myself, but proud of myself for the example I set, because this is a good one.
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