When I was little my Dad ran marathons. I remember on his "long run" Saturdays he would be gone for hours, running. I never had much interest in running. However my sister and I both ran track, and my sister ran cross country. My sister went on to run marathons, but not me. I was too heavy and it just made me miserable to try to run more than a mile or so.
The year I turned 40 I read an article about how to do a couch to 5k running program, and decided to try it. I started on the treadmill at the gym. I couldn't even make it one minute without stopping. Who was I kidding? I decided my first goal was to make it a minute without stopping. My next goal was to make it through one song without stopping. That song I listened to was "Pocketfull of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield. I imagined that song was "taking me away".
I completed that first 5k in 2009. Back then both my husband and I were working full time, I was travelling every month for work, and we had a nanny for our 3 kids. I kept running, and did more 5k's, a 10k, and then decided to attempt a half marathon.
In 2010 I ran a half marathon with Team in Training. We trained for 12 weeks, running with the group twice a week. I raised over $2500 for Leukemia and Lymphoma research. The group motivated me to keep going, and to work for something greater than myself. The race itself was in Kiawah, SC in December. A flat, fast course sounded great to me after training in my hilly neighborhood. The day of the race it was pouring rain and cold. Let's just say it was NOT a pleasant race. I finished in just under 3 hours. I walked a lot of it, but I finished. Apparently I had strep throat and didn't know it at the time. The day after the race I went into work, and was told that my job was being eliminated, 2 weeks before Christmas. Good times.
Fast forward to 5 years later and life has changed a bit. I'm now a stay at home Mom, PTA president, and small business owner. I'm also a runner. Sometimes I hate running and sometimes I love it. I decided a few months ago to start training for the Huntersville half Marathon. The route goes right past my house and through my hilly neighborhood. Due to a busy fall schedule, I have been training by myself. Sunday I ran 8.2 miles. Hopefully this half marathon will be much different than my first one. It's just me, competing against my harshest critic, myself.
I'm training for something different, but it's still training. I don't know what will encourage you, but I say keep going and keep at it. My coach says consistency is the key - and that's what I'm working on. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Yep, just keep at it, that's what I do. It's too easy just to stop and never re start. Good luck with your training!
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