First off happy to be back! Let’s face it, I’m a terrible blogger. Ha! That’s okay, it means I'm busy doing stuff!
So how many of you want to do something, or you even start something and then get to a point and say...”I can’t do it?” We’ve all been there. The thing is, you can do it. You need to commit to whatever that thing is, start it and then when you reach that point where you want to give up, throw in the towel, stop or just plain quit, you need to remember why you wanted to do this in the first place, reach deep inside and know, really know that you can finish. Maybe it's not the finish you were envisioning, but you finished it, you completed it, you proved to yourself you wanted it, committed to it, focused on it and did it!
Last year I had committed to my very first triathlon. I registered and had no idea what I was in for. I knew it would be challenging, but I trained for it and was confident I could complete it and not only that I decided that I didn't want to go into it with the "I just need to finish" attitude, but with a clear finishing time, which I met, to the minute! Did I have the moment of "what have I gotten myself into?" YES! I had many of those, but once the race started, my thought process changed. As soon as I went over the swim timing mat, I was all in, literally. I took on the triathlon, like anything else. I started it...I would finish it. It was helpful to have others all along the way pushing me, telling me to keep going, almost there. I needed to tell myself the same thing, just keep going until you run over the finish line.
This year I have signed up for my second triathlon and having completed the first, absolutely know I can do this! There will be changes, an open water swim for example, which I'm a little nervous about, but I know that my head will be in the game as soon as I plunge into that water.
I am being faced with a new challenge this year, however, this one is really pushing me to my limits and has made me "almost" want to quit. I ran the National Women's 8K last April and decided that I would sign up for the half marathon in 2019. It's now 2019 and we are a month away and Yikes! I've never run a half marathon, I've never run a 15K or 10K race. I've stuck to 5K & 8K. Those are not half marathon distances, at all, nowhere near it. Again, I've had the "what was I thinking?" moments. I continued running through the winter, although not as much as I'd of liked. It was cold out there this winter,
AND I hate treadmill running! I figured I would need to up my running mileage. I knew I could do 3 & 5 miles so I started going 4 & 6, then I made it to 7. Ok, well that's half-way there. What was next? Umm 9 or 10 miles. I've only ever run 8 before, once, I think. So I set out this past Wednesday evening with the goal of running at least 9 and hopefully 10. I broke it down to 1/3rds. Do the first 3 miles, then you only have (2) 3 mile blocks left and so on. Sounds simple enough...
Ha ha. Right! In my first block of 3 miles I was already slow. I run with a beats-per-minute music and I wasn't even keeping on pace from the beginning. I felt like I was already doomed. But I kept at it. Somewhere around mile 4 I got side cramps and the thing that sucks about those is not only are they painful and make you want to walk, but the only way for me to really get over them is to keep the running going so I get into a breathing rhythm. I pushed on and finished the first loop of my course. I finished it with a new strategy. Keep running and only look right in front of you, don't look too far ahead, it will only discourage you. So I tried that. I could still feel myself getting slower, but I pushed on. Again at some point I needed to slow down and walk a bit. One thing I will never, ever do is stop completely. I will always keep moving forward. Mile 6, mile 7, made it to 8. Anything more than this will be a first for me, so whatever I do now will be an accomplishment. Mile 8.5, that was it, I'd lost steam. I was tired, it was getting dark/late. I was on my way home now. Couldn't quit, still needed to get home! Walk a little, ok, run. Just hit mile 9! Most I've ever done! I walked the next .75 miles until I was just .25 from home and just wanted to get home so started running again. 10 miles! I had done it. I was feeling beat up, tired, wanted to throw-up. Everything hurt. Got myself home, drank some water and just sat down. Couldn't move, stared off into space. I was spent. My only thought was "How am I going to do 3 more miles in the race?" "I'm doing this half, but never signing up for another one, no way, no how."
I went to bed, I didn't even eat. The next morning I was actually feeling fine. Yes, my legs and core still were sore, but I had some energy back. I always find it amazing how you can push your body until it almost collapses, and yet, it probably could still go more and how quickly given rest, it will recover. It's our mind that gives out first. During my run I had to play my own version of Jedi mind games. First it was stop looking at all the cyclists quickly streaming by you, you can't go that fast, you're running, not on a bike. Don't worry about the people running past you, it's not a race. Yes, keep looking at the cherry blossom shuttle stop signs and make the next one and the next one after that your target. Keep looking on the ground in front of you, one step at a time, don't worry about what's in front of you. It'll be faster to get home if you just run there. Always pushing. Moving forward. Not throwing in the towel. Not quitting.
I will need to do this run again before the race. Oh joy! I have given some thought though on what might help me feel better and be more successful. Running this mileage NOT on a day that I've already walked to/from work (5 miles). I mean when you think of that, I did 15 miles on Wednesday! Making sure I'm hydrated. Maybe NOT running the day after I've done a workout like swimming 1,100 meters (Tuesday).
The half marathon is in a month. I CAN do it, finish it, and maybe in roughly the time-frame I'd like. Those are my goals. I will dig deep and pull out everything I have to run the 10 miles and then the last block of 3 to complete the half marathon. It may not be pretty and I may be dead to the world the rest of that day, but I will have finished and known that I didn't quit! I will have accomplished a goal. I really may not sign up for another half, but this one will be in the books for me to go back and say, "yeah I did that."
I can do this and so can you. So the next time you are on a quest to do something, have started it and just aren't sure you can finish...keep pushing yourself. Whatever it takes for you to keep going until the end. You can and you will!
Stay strong and motivated my fitness friends!
Post your accomplishments in the comments below. Let me know what you almost gave up on, but didn't because you knew you wanted it and kept working at it!
Yours in fitness,
Lori
Because You Can Fitness
