Well folks, eight weeks have come and gone. This is it for us for now.
On Sunday, I completed my eighth half marathon in the past two years. No small feat when you consider that when I did my first one I could barely run a mile at a time. That is what happens when you watch Biggest Loser and say to yourself, “if those fatties can do it, then so can I.” And when you have a bit of a competitive streak. When I walked up to the Alamodome for my first race expo two years ago, I never thought I would ever do another half marathon again. Aside from the physical accomplishment of running 13.1 miles, there is a mental accomplishment as well. There is a feeling of, hey, if I can do that, I can do anything.
Even with all of those races under my belt, I still get pre-race jitters before the race. I still question why I signed myself up for this again. And at the end when I see the 13th mile marker I still get the lump in my throat because I’m about to cross that finish line. With a time of 2:49, this was not my best race. I find myself questioning if I have peaked.
As soon as I realized my time was not what I hoped, I wanted to sign up for another race to prove that I can PR (personal record) again. As I expressed these feelings to a friend yesterday, she told me that I have officially been bitten by the running bug. I might be disappointed with my time, but I am not discouraged. Strangely, I am now very excited to start training for my first full marathon in March.
Were you able to reach your goals over the last 8 weeks? What will you use as your motivation through the winter?
Image via Flickr.
