Sunday, February 19, 2012

Next up: TWELVE miles

Tomorrow I'm supposed to run twelve miles, my longest run EVER. I'm a little nervous (which, I understand, is getting pretty freaking old by now); I need to get over that. I would LOVE to have my running book unpacked and on a shelf right now, not boxed in a room full of other boxes of books, books, and more books. I need some sort of change of mental scenery. Something to artificially motivate me to run. To remind myself why I run. So I did some googling, and found some words of wisdom:

Running is a big question mark that's there
each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you
going to be a wimp or are you going to be
strong today?
- Peter Maher,
Canadian marathon runner
Tomorrow, I am going to prove (even if it's only to myself) that I'm strong. I'm going to wake up, grab a little something, and head out. I'm going to run twelve miles. I might shock myself, but I will get it done.

Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'
The answer is usually: 'Yes.' 
- Paul Tergat,
Kenyan professional marathoner
This is always a struggle. Yesterday especially, when it was just a rough, rough day for me to run. When anvils were attached to each ankle. It's funny how it's usually harder to go the whole distance for a shorter run; but when I plan a longer run, I'm better at completing the full distance, even if I don't technically RUN the entire distance. I wonder why that is. Am I a born distance runner? I think not. It's like they say - "it's not a sprint; it's a marathon." I appreciate the perspective.
  
The miracle isn't that I finished.
The miracle is that I had the
courage to start."
- John Bingham
And this is what I'll say to myself when I cross the finish line at the half marathon next month. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to do the follow-up half two weeks later, on March 25th.