It’s All About the ‘Tude!

On Thursday, I officially started training for my half-marathon. And it was terrible. I tried sticking to the 5:2 interval but my body was not happy by the time the third interval came around. Out of the 3 miles, I maybe ran one of them.
Yesterday, I had to run 4 miles. I stuck to running 1 mile, walking 1/2 a mile, and so forth, which worked so much better for me. Ideally, I don’t want to walk so much but it was a good practice run for me and I hope to work on cutting down my time. (I think I probably could have only walked 1/4 a mile, but I decided to keep it easy.)
Thursday’s 3 miles took me 49 minutes. Sunday’s 4 miles took me 59 minutes (just 90 seconds off my goal race pace!). Thursday’s run made me regret signing up for a half-marathon. Sunday’s run made me want to sign up for 6 more. Thursday’s run defeated me. I defeated Sunday’s run.
The difference in the two runs can all be boiled down to one word: attitude. I was nervous for both runs, but honestly, I had it in my mind that I wouldn’t be able to handle Thursday’s run. I was worried about how my run would go, not very confident I could even run for 3 minutes after taking a two-week break. And it showed. My mind wasn’t in the run, so my body wasn’t. Sunday was a totally different story. I was determined to have a good run. I wanted to be able to brag about this run, not get discouraged by yet another crappy run. (90% of which is just my own inability to beat the mental game.) I left my heart and soul out on that path. I didn’t give in, even when my body was screaming at me to stop. I kept thinking, “Hey! I’m still running!” I won’t deny that I came close to tears around Mile 3.5 when I realized that I was indeed still running and was going to complete these 4 miles with a big, huge grin on my face.
My confidence is back. I won’t say I’m not nervous about Tuesday’s 3-mile run, but I know it all depends on my attitude and beating the mental game. Physically, I can do it. Mentally…I can also do it.
And before I forget! The winner of the $55 gift certificate to CSN Stores is Becky! Please e-mail me at stephanywrites [@] gmail [.] com within 48 hours to receive your prize!