I was sweaty and hot and the lactic acid was slowly building up in my muscles, but I was smiling. I don't really know why. I was twenty minutes into a thirty-five minute run and suddenly, it wasn't tortuous. I could feel my muscles working together to keep me on that treadmill. I could feel my breath come, not in great gasps, but smooth and deep, like it used to.
It was amazing. It felt like the work I've been putting in the last few weeks was completely worth it, even though I haven't lost one darn pound yet. I struggled so hard to get to where I was, and the a couple of months of not putting in the effort and I felt like I was back to the beginning. I know it's not true. My body couldn't handle 1-3 mile runs when I first started chasing this crazy dream of mine two years ago. Slowly it's become capable of me pushing it harder and faster.
The plan is to keep running three milers, build my speed a little (ok, a lot, I'm crazy slow), and then, goodness gracious, move to a10K. I've run 6 miles before, I know I can do it, but the thought of doing it causes my slowlygettingstronger heart to pitter patter in a way I'm uncomfortable with. This is where mind over matter comes into play. My body is getting strong enough again. Find some missing parts to a weight machine in our house and I can start doing weights on my off days and it will get even stronger. Mentally I have a hurdle to overcome. I know that my 10-race plan will help with that immensely. After a couple more hopefully I won't feel as much like the noob that I am and my mind will get wrapped around the fact that this is possible. You know what's after a 10K, right? Oh yes. 13.1 miles.
That is such an awesome feeling when you don't feel like you are going to die when running :)
ReplyDeleteRunning is such a mental thing too - I am constantly worried that I am not going to be able to finish a run, even though I know that I am perfectly capable of doing so.