OK!!! My New Goal

I have loved every minute of my running experience. When I get asked why I run, I tell them, i'ts hard to describe, but it's the adrenalin you get while running, the feeling of success you get when you cross that finish line, and knowing that you are a winner no matter what place you got. Running is a sport of overcoming oneself, while trying to master oneself all at the same time... This is why I love to run... Pure and simple... I LOVE IT!!!!

MY GOAL: A little over two months ago, I started to run, and run races. Knowing that I would probably be the worst runner in the whole field, I had to put my Pride away and give nothing but my best. In two months, I feel that I have made some huge steps, but I can also can see the MASSIVE Hills in front of me. In running, we always hear two things, The physical aspect, and the Mental side of running. Unfortunately the mental takes more time and experience than the physical. The physical can be paced out, worked up, and scheduled. The mental is something a runner must learn over time... With this in mind, I do not want to fall into peer pressure to run more than I am physically and mentally ready. For this reason, I plan to stick to my training schedule and better myself with my 5K-and 10K schedule for the remainder of the year. I hear that I could be ready to run a bigger race before I actually do, but I feel that this is the wisest decision I can make at this time. OK SO HERE I GO...... My new goal is to run St George Half Marathon aka Painter half marathon in Jan 2011. Painter 5k was the first race that I have ever run, and I think running the half at my year mark would be something special. I am so excited to have this as my new goal. Running 13.1 miles is a BIG deal, and I want to make sure that I have taken every step to be physically and mentally ready for this kind of run. But hey, I will and Can DO IT!!!!

Now that is off my chest... This week has been an awesome running week. On Monday, coming off my 10K high, I hit the treadmill for another 6.5 mile run followed by a 3.5 mile run on Tues. Friday I also got in another 3 mile run and today I ran 7 miles. Today's run KICKED MY BUTT. Not only did I wake up at 0630 to run, It was incredibly windy and cold. Running 7 miles is hard enough, but to add wind, holy cow... Oh and did I mention I HATE HILLS... i thought i had picked a pretty simple 7 mile route, well to find out, hills were everywhere, i don't mind running down, but running up is HARD!!! :) well I guess what doesn't kill me, will only make me better right? Overall, i was able to get a little over 20 miles of training in this week. I feel Awesome, Sore, Incredible, Drained, an Absolute high, all filled with challenges. This is what makes running such a special sport. Rock on!!!!

I saw this quote on one of friends blogs and couldn't help but posting it on mine... I love it....

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought."
--Arthur Blank