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Monday, July 5, 2010

9:57

I was standing over the kitchen sink shoving the last bite of a big sandwich into my mouth at 7:30 Saturday night when I realized it was a run day and I hadn't done my run yet. Poop. And now with a full stomach. 8:30 is about the very latest I can start and still stretch and finish before dark, so I had a little time, but it still wasn't quite enough for optimum conditions. Being the delicate flower that I am, there is a very specific mix of food, water, air temperature, wind, sun, clothes, shoes, and hair situation that I need present to have a good run.

I've been staying really consistent with my work outs - every other day since late December with very few misses - but I haven't made many gains in my running speed. I've wanted so much to run a mile in under ten minutes, and maybe I could have if I went out and just ran one mile, but my goal has been to do it in the course of my normal runs, which are usually 5k. Twice in post-surf euphoria I've made a 10:06 mile at the beginning of a run, but those were months ago, and now my miles are pretty consistently 10:50. I can stick with an 11-minute average almost no matter how far I go - 3 miles will be 33 minutes, 4 miles will be 44, etc. - but I can't get that first mile under 10. Or I couldn't. Until Saturday.

I know that a 10-minute mile is pretty slow to real runners and people who are in great shape. But I'm neither of those things. A year ago I laced up tennis shoes for the first time in a long time to see how far I could jog and I made it barely 1/4 of a mile. Since then I've tried consistently to run a mile in under ten and I've never been able to do it. And I'll never run a marathon, and I'll never be a super athlete, but on Saturday the temperature was right, there was a light wind, and the first song on my iPod was a good one, and as I finished my first lap (4 laps to a mile) and noticed 2:30 on my watch, I did some quick math and thought: I'm doing this.

I had a pretty tough week last week; there were a few difficult events that discouraged me and got me off course personally. But as I was running I was thinking how I always look to things outside of myself for inspiration - to my family, to poems or quotes, or to famous people who have overcome obstacles. That night I thought: I'm going to be my own inspiration. I'm going to accomplish my goal so when I need extra strength, I can think of something I've done. And then I did it! I came in *just* under 10 minutes for the first mile. Not much under, but it didn't matter - it was under ten. And I went on to finish 2 1/4 more in good time, even with the pause for the fist pump and the happy dance after the first one.

Next stop: 9 1/2-minute mile!

10 comments:

  1. Wooohooo! Internet fist pump from Seattle for you.

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  2. Guess what? 4 miles tonight and the first was 9:45 :)

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  3. See what happened there? The moment you looked to yourself and believed in yourself, it all shifted. YAY!

    So maybe saying "And I'll never run a marathon, and I'll never be a super athlete..." isn't the kind of talk you should engage in? So maybe you never will run a marathon or be a super athlete but what's the harm in thinking it is possible?

    Be your own inspiration. I love it.

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  4. Delicious! Congrats! That was just what I needed to get my lazy A$$ off the couch, thanks!

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  5. Awesome, congratulations! That rocks.

    Also, I tend to think running marathons is overrated. At least I have since a friend who'd recently finished one said, "Don't do it, Claire. Really." For him, there was no euphoria, no sense of accomplishment, just a lot of agony he put his body through that he had to recover from.

    Focusing on making the runs you do faster seems like a more useful goal, but maybe that's just me. I admit fully I'm no runner. All this is to say only that you might never run a marathon, but it wouldn't make you any less of a super athlete.

    A 9:45 minute mile and using yourself for inspiration? That impresses me.

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  6. "I'm going to be my own inspiration." Now you know how the rest of us feel. Pretty damned awesome, eh?

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  7. "That night I thought: I'm going to be my own inspiration. I'm going to accomplish my goal so when I need extra strength, I can think of something I've done. And then I did it!"

    I just almost started crying at work because this (because YOU) are so awesome. Love love love it.

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  8. WuHOO! I would think being awesomely awesome you should easily be more than enough inspiration. Of course I'm biased, you being my hero and all. :) But so happy for you!!!

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