Slow, But Sure

I know it's been a while since I posted but we've not run any races in a while. Seems one thing then another would pop up, all beginning with when I got sick back in March, that has knocked me back a notch. I know you're probably tired of hearing about it. Being sick was terrible but has been good in one sense. It's made me appreciate the hard work I put into my running; although it is really easy to get down when you can't seem to pick back up quickly. This is teaching me something and I'm not exactly sure what. I do know perservance is high on that list. Mentally, well, I'm working on that part. Being a while, it's taken its toll on my thinking even wondering if this "running" is for me. But I still can't get out of my head all the races I want to do...longer races.

My interest in 5k's has waned and that's about all you find now until the end of August. And, I really believe that those longer races in the south is just not good for you. I mean even racers in the Boston Marathon struggled this year. It's so hard on your body to push and there's a fine line between "good" and "bad" decisions to run hard in the heat. I really hope to find more PR's in me this fall, including 5k's...but more specifically 10k's and half's.

Starting to run after 50 has not been my best decision. But, of course, I started out just running and not racing. Kent has been the racer since I've known him and so I got into it before I knew it. I'm thankful for that because it has given me the push to improve that I would not have done had I just run on the streets or the treadmill. My running started out in my quest to lose weight which went hand-in-hand with Weight Watchers. Lost pretty fast and felt great. Then before I knew it, I decided to run a marathon. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Oh, NOT the distance...the slowing my pace down. It just about killed me!! If it had not been for my Garmin's alarm I'd have never done it. But since then, I've not run well and I'm not happy about that. One thing I found out is that I really love longer runs. I already knew that since I had done a couple of half's but when I hit the 15 mile mark, I knew this was for me.

My new adventure is swimming. Well, learning how to swim is more like it. I've known how to swim underwater for a long time but I've never been able to swim on top of the water. My sweet husband, Kent, has taken upon himself to teach me how. He's patient and has really helped me. I'm improving and can tell a difference every time I swim. My breathing and strength are getting better, too. Though this is nothing to most everyone, my favorite moment of the week is when I swam across the pool for the first time [yesterday]. Not only that, I did it several times!

For now, I'm running what I can and fighting those "don't want-to's" fiercely. We both win at times. With all of that said, I'm actually doing better and better in my weekly mileage. Maybe when I maintain it, I'll get a fresh outlook [mentally] and start moving forward. I'm looking ahead to better swimming, too. I'm not exactly sure why I'm wanting to learn how to swim. Maybe somewhere deep inside I'm wanting to do a triathlon. I have several friends who do them but it's too early to decide now.

My negative thinking lately has made me question my running. But I KNOW I love it and I KNOW I will return stronger than ever. I will NOT let this time get me down and I will win. I will work through my frustrations, weaknesses and laziness. There may be days when I may elect not to run, but I will work through those, too. Running has been a big part of my life in the last couple of years and I can't see how that will change. Thank you, Honey, for helping me through this new endeavor of swimming to be added to my running. It is such a nice thing to do when my run is finished. I know I'm not the most patient person but to make things even, I'm as hard on myself as I am on others...so we're all paddling as fast as we can.

So for now, I'll whip out my checkbook and pay for next year's subscription to Runner's World, Women's Running and my Running Journal cause I just can't put them down and pull out my new pair of shoes cause I love dreaming of new goals. Nah, I know I'm not through yet. And, with a nice mileage week, I'll leave you for now and will continue to

Run 4 It