I registered for the Disney 1/2 marathon for January.....I saw several people running 1/2s and full marathons several months back and it gave me the urge to want to set that as a goal....I have only, EVER, run 5ks and I don't do those very well. I have learned through this running journey that when it comes to exercise I am mentally WEAK! I decided that if I was going to torture myself with one of the top 5 ranked goals of my life thus far....it was going to be in a place worth a celebration in the end....so I searched tropical locations and Disney....I soon learned races are way more pricey than local 5ks and if I was going to commit I wanted the kids to get some fun out of it too....so I pondered and waited until registration opened in April for Disney....I sat patiently on the computer during Spring Break at the beach from about 11:30...until Noon when it opened....and then I couldnt get in....the site was so slow and I started to think maybe this is not meant to be....maybe I can't do this...and this is my crystal clear sign....so I called the 1-800 number and the lady gave me an alternate site, so by 12:30 it finally worked....I DID IT!!!
Like most things in my life I am a bit of a procrastinator....my best work usually shines through at the end....BUT I am thinking with 13.1 miles between my legs and my mind....I probably shouldn't wait till December to start training....so I started taking this scary task seriously in May....the weekend of Mother's Day I started counting calories, running more at home....and trying to breakdown my mental roadblocks.....Calorie counting has been eye opening and some days very annoying...but pretty manageable b/c its like something to mark of the daily to do list...and a way to honestly think about if that yummy doughnut is really worth all my meals for the day! Then the running.....its slow, its awful, I dread it....it annoys me....BUT then for the few minutes after I finish.....its SO worth it!! I started doing a mile....then 2 some days....then 3.....a couple of weeks ago I ran 4...which was a milestone....then yesterday I set the goal of 5.....I feel like if I tell myself I have to do it, then I do it, but I have to prepare my mind days in advance...I have to map out how many I am going to do days prior or I wont do it....so I spent all day yesterday waiting for Brooks to get home b/c I knew it was going to take a long time to push through another (ridiculous) mile! I was so dreading it all day....and then I started....I knew once I started I couldnt stop till it was done....so I ran a realllllly good 1st mile, probably way too much for the other 4 I still had to do....but it was good....then mile 2 was decent...and mile 3 is where I wanted to give up, come in the house, never run again....annoyed, down on myself, just plain frustrated.....it took way too long and I hated every step.....and then mile 4 was a little better....my legs were getting tired, but there was no way I was stopping with only a mile left.....I finished 5.10 miles in 65 mins....where I want to be, no....near where I need to be, no.....but its closer than I was in May....and closer then I have ever been.....
Here is my screenshot of my latest MILEstone!!
And here is my OH MY GOSH face, I just ran (walked some) 5 miles!
As I have been running lately....I kept thinking I want to blog about this experience, so maybe one day I will love running or be decent at it and have something to look back on....but by the time its over, I am just thankful to be done.....so since I had a long run last night, I am taking the day off from running today and only completing my 30 day challenge routine (another piece of training I added about a month ago) I am now on the 2nd 30 day challenge....something else I thought I could never do.....200 crunches....oh how fun is that!!!!
So my relationship with running is definitely a love, hate relationship, with way more hate than love!! I am hoping that I can continue to push aside the mental challenges that I face with every run.....
If I can do it, anyone can!!! Set a goal and strive to achieve it!!
Much Love, The Slow Runner Alysha
