I'm hearing that Bob Seger song “Against the Wind” in my head as I type. I would've enjoyed some wind, even a breeze, but on Friday, it was definitely a matter of running against the sun.
I've told you that I usually set my alarm for 4:30 or 5:00am on running days so I can complete my miles before the sun heats up the day. But Thursday night was the big Perseid meteor shower, and John and I were sitting outside watching until midnight. (Some amazing displays!)
So the earliest I could pull myself out of bed was about 7. Add together the facts that I was super tired to begin with, a hotter weather system had moved in, and I was supposed to run an extra mile – Friday was a rough run!
I'd go into all the details about how I think I sweated more than the water I drank, my stomach started growling halfway through, there was no shade on half of the new route I'd taken nor were there sidewalks on part of it…but those are all the reasons why the run was difficult.
If I keep focusing on all the things that are hard about running, I won't keep doing it, especially if the plan is to add another mile every 2-3 weeks.
So here are the good parts of my 6-miler on Friday!
- Even though I lay in bed thinking about not wanting to go out, posted to Facebook about not wanting to go out, and dilly-dallied even after I dressed in my running clothes – I went out and ran the 6 miles!
- It was super hot (for running, about 70 degrees), but I didn't walk any more than usual. I ran the whole way. (I run in a 5/1 method – 5 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking.)
- I ran slower to make sure I had enough energy to make the whole trip, proof that my attitude had improved by the time my Nike's hit the sidewalk. I was determined to just do it!
- I DID IT! I ran 6 miles for the first time in five or more years! In the end, this is the part that matters – I went out and did it anyway, regardless of how I felt.
SUCCESS!!
I'm a strong believer in celebrating your successes because it make the neurons in your brain make connections that say, “Oh, this is good, she wants me to do this again. Okay, let's wire things up here to make this happen again.” Your brain is so freaking awesome – it will try to do what you tell it to do. So celebrating helps you get ready to do it again!
Which I will, tomorrow! Look out, world, I'm going to run my 6 miles faster tomorrow – because Friday proved to me that I could do it! But I'm going to do the vampire pre-dawn thing again and stay out of the sun. 😀
