day 71 - 12 days to go - Run today

Ahhhh back to running.  I had a great run today.  I think I like running when it's on the cooler side.  It was a brisk 54 degrees and there was a cool breeze in my face but it made it easy to run and not get over heated.  I loved it.

Once again I decided to run the 4.14 route without stopping.

Interestingly, I always start out with the goal to run without walking and as soon as I start moving,  quickly think, "I'll never run this whole thing without stopping to walk."  So then I give myself some landmark, "Hmmm, I'll just run until the Shoprite."  But then Shoprite comes and a good song comes on, or some (imagined) guy is watching me run and now, really, I can't walk.  So I think to myself, "I will run until I get to the bank."  And the same thing happens.  Before you know it, I'm in the last stretch and get that "last push to the finish line wind" and that's, that.

It's funny because I think this represents what happens with many dreams in life.  Dreams start off as these huge, looming, impossible notions.  You even start to chip away and it feels so big and out of reach that you think to yourself that you'll never pull it off... and now you're faced with choice - give up because it's "too hard" or work hard, make mini-goals,  find inspiration, dig deep and suddenly - step by step, mile by mile you get there.

So that's three times I've run 4 miles or better without walking and that progress feels AMAZING.  I even improved my time this week.  Last week this route took me 4.4 mph the week before it took me 4.1 mph... Today I did it in 4.6!  Yay!!  Getting closer to that magic 5.0 that I'm striving for.

I signed up for a May 16th 5K.  The marathon is my HUGE goal but I'm looking forward to the 5K to see how much I can improve speed from the last one I did.

XO
Jen