Surprisingly…Upbeat!

The first person to get remember where that title came from gets a virtual cookie.

So here I am, one week away from finishing Part 1 of my half marathon training and I have surprised myself with how far I’ve come. I think I could almost call myself a runner…almost.

As I’ve said before, each long run is a new PDR (personal distance record) for me. While I’m still truckin’ along in the single digits mile-wise, I did something this week I never thought I’d ever do. I ran 5 miles, in a row, with. out. stopping! It was truly one of my proudest moments, and honestly, those 5 miles FLEW by. I probably could have kept going, too!

If anyone had told me 4 years ago, heck even a year ago, that I’d be racking up the miles like it ain’t no thang, there’s no way I would have believed you. Running was always a source of angst for me-I remember dreading each cheerleading and softball practice because there was an off chance we’d have to do some long distance running. I was even on the track team in high school and I would feign sore knees to get out of running more than a mile. (That is also why I took up the javelin, but that’s another story.) It makes me smile while the miles tick by now, I welcome the exercise. I love the way I feel at the end of a run and I don’t feel like curling over and dying anymore…I guess that’s a positive thing!

While I did feel great this Sunday when I reached my 5th mile, I need to remember how much farther I have to go until I have reached my goal. I am still 8 miles away from where I need to be in May, so I cannot be complacent.  I still have a long way to go but I really love celebrating these mini milestones. While the work is hard, I do enjoy it. I am happy that I have decided to embark on this journey and I can’t wait to continue racking up the miles!

What mini milestones have you hit on your way to your final goal?