I. WANT. ONE.
Matt says to me, "Just go online, buy one and slap it on the bumper!" He was totally kidding of course he knows that I want to earn it. I've been running since April of this year and have not stopped. I've always wanted to run, to be a runner but my excersize induced asthma and laziness took over and I never really started. Sure I'd run 1/2 a mile here and there but never pushed it because I was afraid I'd collapse or my lungs would. My friend Jen signed up for a 5k in Chicago at Wrigley Field. I paid $40 and after registration I was the biggest pot of negativity! I couldn't believe I had just paid to run! Who does that?! I also was NOT training at all because of the negativity. I just didn't want to do it, nor did I think I could. Then to top it off, I saw the weather forecast. Rain. Cold. Great.
My SIL, God love her stayed with me the whole time just like she promised. I only stopped once to shake of some inner ankle pain and I finished the race in 32:00 mins!!!!!!!! Do you even realize how proud I am of myself to this day?!?!?!??!?! Seriously. Never ran a race before, never trained and I finished it. Singing OUT LOUD, "Eye of the tiger" helped myself as well as some other "1st timers"...I didn't feel the need for music. I wanted to just run.
If you had said to me last year that I'd be clocking 10-11 mile runs per week, I would have laughed my butt off in your face and tell you that that would NEVER happen. Alas, here I am running 10-11 miles a week and feeling better than ever all around! It's helped me emotionally, physically and more importantly MENTALLY.
My 2nd 5K was at the Brookfield Zoo. That one kicked my ass! Imagine running on a wide path that narrows, throw in some kids who stop REAL fast in front of you and a few strollers. I finished that one in 38:00 mins...UGG! I finished though. This race, I had my FIL on my mind, cried a few times during the run and just kept pushing. I ran for him that day.
I get it now. Running. I get how mental it is. I get how focused you have to be. I get it and I love it. I downloaded a "novice" level training sheet to train for a 1/2 marathon. Scary. I'm going to do it though. I will do it. I need/want to tackle outdoor running, it's a must! Right now with the Chicago humidity... NO THANKS! I'll stick to my chilly basement for now. I can't wait to run outside when Fall hits!
I have the following poem posted on the wall in front of my treadmill & read it about 7-8 times while I run. It was read last year at a SuperSibs luncheon for "Quiet Heroes" who are the mom's of children with cancer. It brought tears to my eyes. I read this when I feel like stopping. I read this when I feel like shit. I read this to bring me back from negativity. I read this to feel better (if that's possible) about what my FIL is going through. I read this and it honestly helps push me to finish my run and helps me feel better about life in general.
Enjoy...
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown
That 13.1 bumper sticker WILL be mine someday....soon.
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