I am currently training for the Chicago Half Marathon. Race Day is the 22nd of July. I have put myself on a three month grueling training program to get my body ready for the event. I am almost at the end of week 7 and I can proudly say that I am learning a lot from this experience.
Things I have learned from my long-term goal of being crazy and running 13.1 miles
· Everyone always says that hard work pays off. This is bullshit. Hard work does not always pay off. But you can’t ever get to a pay-off if you don’t work hard. There’s a difference. There were times, especially early on in training, that my body felt like it was shutting down. I was constantly exhausted and tired of my body screaming “YOU STUPID GIRL! WHY COULDN’T YOUR BUCKET LIST INVOLVE SOMETHING THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SIT AND RELAX AND NOT RUN A GOOGLE AMOUNT OF MILES A WEEK?” Clearly my body has a great set of lungs on her. Not to mention a great ass. Holla!
· You make time for things that are important to you. I’m not one for sitting around and watching TV, with the exception of when I’m hanging out with my boy (for technical purposes, he is not officially my “boyfriend” despite how often he sings Justin Bieber’s song Boyfriend. And when we are hanging out, we end up taking naps. We’re like Ross and Joey from Friends. If you don’t get that reference, I would let you borrow all my seasons of the best show ever, but you wouldn’t even appreciate the gesture). I digress. Mainly my days are comprised of going to work, hitting the gym/running outside, showering, shoving some sort of food down my fat throat, driving to see the boy or going to improv, and then sleeping. Wash Rinse and Repeat.
· A solid deadline keeps me motivated. Look, it’s not easy keeping up this exhausting schedule. On top of barely sleeping 5 hours a night, sometimes I think about relaxing my training schedule. But then I get back from a 5 mile run and I feel amazing and accomplished, something I don’t feel a lot throughout the day (or at least for 8 hours of the day Monday- Friday). I’m all sweaty and pleasantly warm and gooey. I know that every day is a day I need to do well on July 22. Every day is worth getting out there. Every day is not an option to slack. I really want to finish the race without having to walk, so I need my body to be the ultimate in endurance and strength.
· As much as I complain that I look like Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, I love my body. Even though I am not dropping pounds like I would have liked, I am gaining lean muscle everywhere. My legs are SUPER toned now and strong. Very strong. I am so thankful that I even have the ability to run on my two legs. So much of my life is based off of my athletic prowess that it’s nice to continue to be able to do something I love. My abs, although still playing hide-and-seek under my Portillo’s belly, is rock hard and strong. A strong core has really helped me through the long runs, like the 8 miles (Eminem style) I just busted out last Saturday.
· I don’t need headphones to run. I used to not be able to work out without constant music drowning my brain. Now, I need the quiet of my breathing and the tranquility of feeling my body sync up and power through this physically demanding goal.
The best thing I’ve learned during the training process and the past 2 months is that I really can do anything I put my mind to. That sounds like an easy out to what I’ve learned. I’ll try again. What I’ve really learned is that it takes patience and quiet motivation to obtain something you are working toward.
Every day is necessary to the process and outcome.
Look at me, learning life lessons from running. But for real, this process has really made me focus on the fact that life is a marathon. And it takes every day, every second and every step to achieve something worthwhile. This thought calms me. I don’t have to rush anything. I don’t have to feel like I’m being left behind.
I am right where I belong because I worked hard to be in this moment.
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