My break was much needed, July nearly sent me to the loony bin, and just reaffirmed what I already knew: I REALLY
In the meantime, I began to acquire a case of runner's doldrums mid-July. Oh, I still went, and regularly enough, but that carrot of a yet-to-be-accomplished goal was lacking ever since my feet crossed that strip in Folsom Field. Without a concrete goal, and the very-vague-yet-unconstrained-by-culturally-dictated-shapes-or-sizes aim of being a 'fit mama,' while noble, is sort of like telling a toddler to 'be nice' when really they need to quit biting every damned person they feel like, I just didn't have enough to inspire the runs for which my legs began to yearn.
I mean, have you met me? Girl likes a challenge, and by challenge I mean, 'those feats which redefine impossible.' Pretty much anyway. Oh and btw a perfect theme song for this is Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten, since we are being all literary and redefining and all that....or, it is just a great dose of positivity. You're welcome!
Anyway....so I had some chats with God about this - as some of you may know my whole running journey began as a desire for me to reflect the healing and other works He has done/is doing in my life - and asked Him, "What's next? Because this is great and all, but it's not as dramatic as what you've done for me. How can I even begin to show them? I mean, without going all divine being and walking on water like Jesus, ya know"
So on the fateful day of July 14th I found myself at the grocery checkout staring down the cover of the August Runner's World. The chick on the cover had enviable tone, for sure, but my gaze locked in on the words just to the left of her middle: BREAK 2 HOURS (or any time goal). Ok, so my Boulder (10k/6.2mile) time was 1:16 and change, which broke down to a 12:17/mile average pace. And a sub-2 hour marathon (21k/13.1miles) equates to roughly a 9:09/mile pace.
So there I was looking at the [im]possibility of doing more than double the distance in less than twice the allotted time?!?! Sold!
I started my training on the 17th and have been sticking to it. I'm not quite at the performance demanded by the training guidelines - i.e. I did week 1 twice since my first attempt at an 8 mile run was only slightly more than two-thirds successful, I have not quite made the 'easy,' 10:30 pace over distance my own yet (oh, but I will...I did a 10:31 pace last Tuesday, SOCLOSE!!!!), nor would I call it an 'easy' pace for me at this time. But I am getting there. So far I have pushed myself beyond what I thought I could with:
- my first time ever experiencing exercise-induced vomiting (during which all I could do was envision Biggest Loser montages)
- an 8:00 mile!!
- completing 8 miles, period, let alone at an 11:56 pace!!!
I don't have a half-marathon picked out/registered for yet, but there is a local on in November that I'm starting to see myself doing.
Turns out, I need direction in order to channel my energy. Put another way, I need to be told what to do. Heh, who'da thunk on that one, eh?
And, side bennie of running like a beast - my legs are starting to shape up (finally - I mean you'd think they'd have gotten the memo that we've been working HARD for OVER A YEAR by now!) and this 'fit mama' is starting to look the part as well as feel it!
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