24 days

I have just 24 days until my very first half marathon.

Holy crap! TWENTY-FOUR-DAYS!

yep, that’s me shouting and kinda freaking out.

I go back and forth on my confidence in my ability to complete this task.  Why you ask?

Honestly? I have no idea.

I have read articles written by people who are more out of shape & have less running experience than me, who have completed this task.  I tell myself, “why you so afraid? if they can you can!”  But every time I get ready for a long run, I get butterflies in my tummy.  Nerves. I am getting nervous on a run? which isn’t even a race? Why? The only person I’ll be letting down is myself.  The only person I have anything to prove to, is myself.  I am only competing against myself.

But you know what?  I still go on that run and I finish it. Every time.

 

 

My lungs burn my feet swell.  When we first took off on Sunday my ankle hurt.  I was so mad about that.  I had gotten over my shin-splints bought new shoes and now my ankle hurts!  So I kept running, and eventually the pain went away.  I don’t mean I just ignored it, I mean it didn’t hurt.  I don’t know when it happened, but about half way through I realized my ankle didn’t hurt.  Simply because now my body was warmed up and blood was flowing.  The pain wasn’t an injury, but just a little protest from a joint that hadn’t really woken up yet.

 

 

I pant and I sweat.  I curse and I laugh.  And I walk to rehydrate.

Half my brain says “I can’t do this” and the other half shouts “SHUT UP! YES YOU CAN!” And so I keep running.  OK, sometimes I walk, but I’m fine with that.  If it will take walking intervals for me to complete my distance, who cares?

I go the distance.

 

This past Sunday we clocked 8 miles in.  And the pace was a minute faster than the week before.  Even pushing that stroller with Sid in it.

 

This will be my motto for the race.  I just have to keep it in mind.

 

Just. Keep. Running.

C25K interval information can be found here