Double Digits here I come.

Cherry Blossom 2016

My goal was to conquer 10 miles as a training run this past Saturday and hope that I would function after I had completed the run.  I had previously run 10 miles twice last year and that was only during races. The first time I run 10 miles was in April 2016 at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  I recall that being a very emotional race for me and can’t forget the look of all the band members who were waiting for me at the finish line to celebrate the milestone. I remember thinking there was no way I was ever going to run 10 miles again.  I called in sick the next day and almost called in on Tuesday too. I could barely walk to the bathroom that night or even function the next day.

Fast forward to October 2016, my second 10 miles was at the Army 10 miler.  During training, we never run the actual distance of the race we are targeting so that we are ready and it reduces the risk of getting injured before the race. The Army 10 miler was an emotional race in a different way compared to the Cherry Blossom race.  I was inspired by how many wounded veterans were out there doing the distance.  I recall seeing a runner who lost both his legs and was running on blades and had stopped for a break because he was in pain but he didn’t quit.  Watching the strength of these wounded men and women was enough to keep me going.  There was no way I was going to feel sorry for myself or have time to complain about anything being hard.  What a humbling experience and a reminder that you can’t take things for granted and you are the only person who limits yourself in what you can do in this life. 

Earlier in the week, I attended a talk titled “Resilient and Ready:  How to Thrive Through Challenge and Change” by Valorie Burton a life coach who specialized in positive psychology and felt so inspired from the talk and decided I would have to channel positivity during the run.  A part of me was still stressed out but got encouragement from my friends that I would be able to do it and it helps to get the extra boost from friends even when you are freaking out.

Phew I found them 😊

I started off the morning with a few setbacks (left my inhaler at home) on my way for the run but I wasn’t going to use that as an excuse not to do the run.  I decided to visualize the mileage as a pie that had 5 big slices each representing 2 miles.  Using this method wasn’t as daunting as dealing with the miles one at a time since the route was challenging and needed one to dig deeper.  I guess all the hill repeats we did on Wednesday came in handy on Saturday…thanks Coach KC.  It was a beautiful day and it was nice to see friends out doing their own training.  My highlight though was meeting the training group that was doing 7 miles at their half way point since I didn’t expect to find them.  At that point I had been singing to myself since my phone battery was down and had seen a few runners who I didn’t know and just wanted to see one familiar face.  At mile 6.5, I kept on saying to myself multiple times please meet the band and my only prayer at that point was answered and the feeling was priceless.  Thanks guys you know am always humbled by your support.

I finally finished the 10 miles and was still able to stand and celebrate with friends on completing my accomplishment.  Interesting how a year makes a difference, I was able to go to church later that evening and volunteer which I would not have been able to do last year.  Reality is beginning to set in that I need to acknowledge that am getting stronger and with the right attitude I will conquer the half.  Next weekend will be new to me so bring on 11 miles woot woot.