“You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.” - Steve Prefontaine
I often struggle with this. There have been so many times where I start something ambitious, but the journey to the finish line is rocky. I see this feeling a lot when it comes to fitness. I start P90X, make it to day 8ish, start losing the determination, then slowly quit. I lose 20 lbs, get so excited when I see the number on the scale that I take it easy for a little while. That usually turns into a longer period of time than I hope, and before I know it, I gain 5-10 back even though I am still so far away from my goal. I ran my first 10K and took some time off after because I had this "I just ran farther than I ever have in my life" mentality. When I finally ran again, I could barely run 2 miles. I essentially had to start over and get it all back. This is going to be my biggest challenge of this journey. Not week 1, not getting out of bed on May 6th and running the race, but finding the motivation and drive within to see the entire process through. I usually get so excited about jumping over a minor hurdle that it causes me to trip up. I am a big believer in celebrating the small successes, but not at an expense of losing the finish line.
Monday - Rest
Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles
3.15 miles - 31:52 - 10:06 pace
Slightly built on the time, but the best thing about today was how I felt. For the entire way, the legs felt really good. I think the 5 miler over the weekend helped. Slowly but surely, I am optimistic that I will see progress :)
Wednesday - 3 Miles - Pace
2.14 miles - 22:10 - 10:21 pace
Today's run was absolutely terrible. It was my first morning run of training (besides my race) and it followed an evening run last night. At about .5 I started to feel weird - almost as if I wasn't acclimated to the altitude. by 1 I was ready to be done. At 1.5 I stopped to walk for a while, then ran again at the end. Now I'm sore, my back hurts, and I'm exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.
Thursday - 3 Miles
3.15 miles - 32:15 - 10:14 pace
Tonight was pretty solid, and it definitely made up for yesterday's train wreck. My calf and back hurt as a result of the fiasco, but it still felt strong. I find it interesting how both Thursdays were the best I've felt... since it is the 3rd day in a row and my body can definitely feel it. Slightly confusing, but I'll definitely take it!
Friday - Rest
Yes please!
Saturday - Cross
Volleyball
First time playing in over 3 months. It felt so good!
Sunday - 5 Miles
5.09 miles - 54:29 - 10:42 pace
I meant to do this run in the morning, but it ended up happening at night. It was pretty cold... the first 2 miles felt strong, but then the next 1.5 was pretty brutal. I caught a second wind, but still less than stellar. I am not too pleased with the time, but happy that I made it the full 5 - during my run I wasn't so sure it was going to happen. Overall, not a bad way to end week 2.
Love that Steve quote -- and you know, I've officially learned that you can't appreciate the success without a little struggle. In terms of running, it DOES make it a *little* more difficult ;) but it makes the finish that much sweeter! Week 2, DONE. You got this!
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