The push

This is really a post for my running blog. But I'm going to be a rebel and post it here. I'm back in the running groove after completing my first ever half marathon and then taking a little time off to nurse my "runners knee". If you care to relive my entire experience from training to marathon, you can click here. I wish I could make everyone who says to me "I could never run" understand that I was that girl, just over a year ago. I seriously was. Then in 11 months I was running a half marathon. And I was that girl who never finished anything either. Especially if it didn't come easy. And running did not come easy.

I've settled back into my usual 3 miles, 3 times a week. I'm doing a 7 mile leg for the Memorial Marathon in a couple of weeks and I hate to say it, but my training has been sub par. My neighbor/running partner Jen runs with me a couple of mornings a week, if we make it. Yesterday, I got a text from her at 448am that it was too windy and we should skip. I happily obliged and plopped myself back into bed, running clothes and all. So that meant at work, I was going to need to squeeze in a run at lunch. Which is actually, a great break for me in the middle of the day. So as "fighter" by Cristina Agulerra played, I thought to myself how I hadn't challenged myself enough lately. So I had this crazy idea to run my 3 miles faster than I normally do. Just to see what happened. See here's my little secret - you can run forever, as long as you don't run fast. When you kick up the speed, that's when you lose me. So, with deep breaths, I cranked that treadmill up to 6.5. I checked the pace, just to see how fast a mile that would be for me. 9.15. I run a 10-11 min mile. And I'm really happy there. So I told myself to zone out to the music, and I covered the timer with a towel. It was really hot in the gym, and I was sweating buckets, but man, did I feel good. I made the whole 3 miles at a 915 pace. That may not be fast for some, but that's the beauty of running! You can run against yourself and its really the only thing that matters. So I beat myself yesterday.

All of this to say, if you don't challenge yourself, your really missing out. Whether that's in sports, a hobby, work, or life in general. How do you know if your better, if you don't push yourself to find out?