Commit and Train

In my normal non-committal form, I have neglected this blog. And I am sorry to myself for not sticking to it. But it’s time to move on; I am training for another half marathon. Earlier this year when I posted my victory post about finishing my first half marathon, someone left this in a comment “Wish you had started this blog earlier so that you could've written about your training experiences!!” So, this time I plan to record the process, the struggles and the wins. I want to inspire others, sure, but primarily I need to inspire myself.

Last week was week 1 of training, and it was not a good week. I had a horrible run,  I cramped up a quarter mile in and just struggled the whole way. There was instant fear that followed thoughts like “Can I actually do this? Miami was kind of a miracle.” As I was running I was trying to figure out what was going on. I felt as though I was starting from scratch even though I ran 4 miles the previous week. I came to the conclusion that I was not respecting this new training. Running with sneakers that need to be retired, an arm band falling apart after years of good work, my shorts were too high and I could not run comfortably. Not to mention, I did not properly hydrate the days before and a half ass warm up.

A week later, today I went on my second run. This weekend was a hard weekend and I used it as an excuse to not train. But, this morning the excuses ran out. I realized if I did not respect this training, I should stop now, and honestly, I already told too many people about my goals, to quit. I ran with those same old sneakers and busted armband.  Ran past the discomfort, slow and steady. And I ended strong, felt as though I could tack on some more mileage.

 
Like my lack of commitment to this blog I fear not truly committing to my training. I am training in a different atmosphere. Last year I worked with runners and spent time outside of work with runners; we were all training for the same race. That support was undeniably the fuel I ran on. Last year I didn’t have the current obligations that preoccupy my mind. Last year training was new and exciting. But, what I do have this year is the knowledge that I have done this before, and theoretically, I can do it again. I just hope that’s enough.