The challenge is near!

 

I've been working for a while now at this next step I'm taking.  It's a running challenge and it takes place this weekend.  A Half Marathon here in Waterloo.  Let's get to it!!

Training has gone pretty well over the past 9 weeks & I'm pleased with what I've been able to accomplish so far.  This is the 2nd half marathon I will be participating in.  The first was this past November and I surprised myself with my result.  I managed to finish, with a complete run, no stops or walk breaks in approximately 2:16:00.  Yay me!  Considering I was aiming for a 2:30 finish I felt pretty darn good about that.

So of course, this time I must outdo myself!  I always want to be better at something the more I do it...funny how that works. I'm sure a lot of you are the same way.  Unfortunately, this does tend to put undue pressure on me, which can be stressful.  I'm not so sure I successfully manage that all the time.  Take for example the 10Miler race I competed in a few weeks ago.  My goal was to complete it in 1:40:00.  It took me almost 1:49:00 to finish. That's only 9 minutes extra right?  Yeah, but psychologically for me during the race, the pressure I put on myself to be faster was too much.  At one point I literally gave up, started walking and basically told myself I couldn't do this, might as well give up running!

Really??  What was I thinking?  It took me 9 extra minutes.  Get over it!  The fact of the matter is I still ran 16 long km; isn't that an accomplishment in itself?  Yes, yes it is.  And I should be happy that I tried AND that I finished.

Where to go from here?  Well, I certainly need a different attitude heading in to this next race.  I still have goals.  I would definitely like to get under the 2:15:00 mark to finish.  That would make me very happy!  But I'm not going to psych myself out with the numbers during the race.  I will go out and run my race at the pace that I am comfortable with and be proud & satisfied that I am doing something that honestly I never thought I could, or would be able to do.

That's the best I can do....my best!  I think that's a good step forward.