Monday morning came too quickly and rudely started with a startling alarm at 6:00 AM. My inclination was to hit snooze, roll over, and go back to sleep in my warm bed. Despite my intentions, [and a whole bunch of money that was spent to purchase some appropriate running clothes] my sleepy self just wanted to pretend this was a normal day. But this wasn't a normal day. I had made the decision to start this journey, and as a busy mom, running in the morning is the only time where I can 30 minutes to run without worrying about the kids and not spending time with them.
So I turned off my alarm, got dressed, and headed out the door, eating a banana as I started stretching. When I took off, my only goal was to run as far as I could without pushing myself too hard. I was surprised as I passed the point I stopped at yesterday with relative ease. Then the muscle aches in my calves started. I pushed through the ache for another 3/10 of a mile before my lungs started to burn. I reached the intersection and began walking to steady my heart rate. I wanted to keep going so I pushed my body to start running again but didn't make it nearly as far as yesterday. This second attempt of running also brought on some pain in my ankle because I had neglected to listen to my husband and ran on the uneven side walk. Won't be making that mistake again.
I finished out my 2 miles walking home and trying to keep myself thinking positively because all I wanted to do was focus on how I hadn't listen about running on the road, how I was feeling sick, how my ankles were hurting. That's probably the biggest challenge I'm facing - staying positive before and during my runs. Trying to fight the demon in my head that say I can't. That say this is just another one of my "projects" that I won't be able to finish.
Physically: The first mile was much easier and I was able to run the majority of it. The second half was harder. Fighting a sick stomach and fatigue I think made it harder. My plan for tomorrow is to get to bed earlier and allow myself a little more time to wake up before I take off in the morning.
Emotionally: I had a big boost by making it further but then got really low because of unrealistic goals I set for myself. I'm learning that I can't beat myself when I don't make huge gains every day. Small gains are what lead to long-term results and I'm already seeing glimpses of the results. 5 days ago I barely make it 4/10 of a mile. Today I doubled that. Small gains.
Distance: 2 miles - 1 mile ran, 1 mile walk
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