Powering Through

Well I got up this morning for my run feeling good. Got all ready and got the boys organized before I headed out. Bribed them with the pancakes I'd make when I got home.

I started and felt tired really quickly but at first I was putting it towards how the first km just really sucks sometimes. Well the feeling never really left. I took a walk break almost every km. It was more a mental thing so I decided to keep at it since my body was handling it ok and figured it would be good in the long run(haha) to work on powering through the negativity going through my head. Around the 5.5km mark I had to stop and lecture myself. There was a bunch of swearing and just being pissed at myself for feeling so down about it. Of course since my route was almost 10k I still had a ton to go (including two hills) and walking that home would have taken a while.

I headed off again and took on those hills. The first was still hard and I wanted to walk but I just kept counting the light posts and made it my goal to just get to the next one. Thankfully right between the hills there is an intersection and I got the red light so I could congratulate myself on finishing one hill and try to pump myself for the second one. and I did. The second hill was much easier than the first. Mostly I think because I kept thinking of the nice hot cup of coffee I could have once I got home and those yummy pancakes. After that it was just about finishing it up and getting home.

I glad I didn't give up when I wanted to. Its interesting that it can take the tiniest thing to make me think of stopping, just for a quick walk break, to catch my breathe for a second, is that a cramp?

I try to keep these in my head when I'm in the wrong head space.

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."
-Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer