Training for my first half marathon has brought me to a new realization about marathoners-they are very disciplined and bold! Every week I have been adding miles to get conditioned for the Chicago Rock n Roll, and yesterday I ran my first ever 10 miler. My gosh was it tough at the end. The heat did not help matters because my body was working harder than usual to cool itself and move. The first 2 miles were descent, miles 3-7 I began to get in my zone and kept an eye on my form, and then at mile 7 I began to fatigue and get real thristy. Lisa told me to bring a water bottle and some GU gels, and I did. I took my GU energy gel at mile 7, and while it did help I was still pushing hard to finish 9 and 10. I felt depleted. Besides the temperature being 90 degrees, I just hadn't fueled properly the day before. I felt low on energy and I knew when I was running that my food was not in tact to support my long distance run. Running long distance takes good nutrition, training, rest and planning. All I could think about during my ninth and tenth mile of running was, "how do marathoners push to 26?" I really respect the "PUSH" that long distance runners give it. Personally, I feel it's all about courage and condidtioning, and anyone can run any distance if they simply have the desire to put the time in.
As I ran my 10 miles it was fun to see a couple of the same runners on the way back, they too were on a mission to run LONG. I got a few thumbs up along the way and some familiar faces gave me a shout ...way to go. Love the support and it works wonders when you are waning. Now I can say I have 10 more miles in the bank for race day, and I did not allow the discomfort to stop me from completing my goal. I kept saying to myself, "if you stop now you have to do the entire 10 over tomorrow." This mantra worked....I just finished what I started.
Speaking of inspiration, many people are commenting on facebook that they are following my training and getting inspired to get in shape. This is fabulous news, because once you get started there's no turning back. The endorphins kick in, your skin looks healthier, you feel better, and you are MOVING! As my frined Dr. Inbar says, "A body in motion stays in motion." Let's just keep moving to good health and encourage our frineds to do the same.
Additional inspriation is coming from my reading about world class runners like Kara Goucher, Sara and Ryan Hall and Constantina Dita. These amazing and elite athletes are so admirable in their focus to train, and it inspires me to read about their mental abilities, which are learned skills just like their physical training is learned and applied. Make sure to pick up a copy of Kara's new book RUNNING FOR WOMEN, it's simply full of great and helpful tips and very easy to read.
That's all now, I have to catch some zzzzz's for tomorrow's speed work. Just gotta do it!
In the meantime, lotsa love out to my little friend Theofanis who will the finish the race with courage and love. If you have not made a donation yet, please do. Any amount will do, and every penny counts!
http://www.active.com/donate/runfortheofanis
Yours in energy,
The Roadrunner
