Lessons

I worked really hard this morning at trying to convince myself that I deserved a break from running. Yes, I realize I just had a Rest Week, but I do not exaggerate saying it was at least as physical of a week as a moderate week of running. And, every day following that week has been jam-packed full, much of it involving a lot of out-of-the-ordinary physical activity (helping people move for instance). Put a non-restful Rest Week in combination with this stupid-crazy heat we've had, and that's not a combination that motivates me out of bed in the morning!

I realized, though, that my thought for blowing off running today (tomorrow and the weekend ... oh, yes, I was on the train of thought to improvise a mini Rest Week before having to full-force commit to the training schedule) was on impulse and not out of strategic, coherent thought. I spent at least a half hour going back and forth weighing the pros and cons of not going today, and I found myself spending the last moments of that half hour pondering whether or not to go while lacing up my shoes.

I'm not an impulsive kind of gal. I never really have been, and in those moments where I have given it a whirl, I tend to look back on and cringe a little bit. This was not the morning to give impulsiveness another go!

I'm sorry, sweet girl, but you can't go today. How 'bout some
ear rubbing instead?

So, out I went by myself. It was hot. It was a wee bit miserable. The heat sucked the energy from me by the time I hit the second mile. It wasn't terribly fun to say the least.

But.

I've been through this before. I've very much learned that the heat alone sucks away not just energy but immediate confidence. So, I use these hot runs to recall how I felt when going through this two summers ago ... for many weeks, I felt so wimpy and drained. Then, the heat broke, and all of the work I put in during the heat paid off in spades when more comfortable temperatures returned. This isn't just a physical test; it's one of patience. Just Keep Going.

I've also come to think about every step, every mile, as an investment in my running future. Even if the run isn't the best one, the miles are still logged, the muscle memory gets stocked, and muscle memory is long enough to quickly pay off. Just Keep Going.

And, finally, I keep in mind that, no, it isn't always fun. Not every step has to be fun to make it worth it. In three Half Marathons, I have yet to run one where all 13.1 miles were fun. In fact, it's quite the contrary. The beginning six tend to rock, the final three are a level of elation, Mile 10 and I have an inexplicable positive connection (don't know why, I just always like it in and of itself), and then there are the middle three. They suck. But, I need them to get where I'm going. So, fun or not: Just Keep Going.

So, this morning, I did it. And, I found a dime. And a BB.

And, Elly still gave me kisses when I returned:

And, Lizzy got busy checking out my smelly pile:

And, Daphne got busy stalking my new shoe strings:

Putting in the time was worth it. It hurt a little bit, but it was worth it! See you after tomorrow's run!