Some running days are better than others. Today wasn't one of them...I was sucking air!
Saturday
was my longest training run yet. To date, I've only run up to 5 miles
and I was scheduled for 6 that day. Because of other activities planned
later, I began my run pre-dawn and without the company of my Team in
Training running mates. It was just me, my iPhone, and my feet crunching
on the new fallen snow, which in itself was a new experience.
I not only finished the run, but about 4 1/2 miles in, I finally felt "yeah, I'm a runner"!
Today
I struggled to hit 4 miles, but there were two things that kept me going.
First, I'm motivated by doing something for a cause bigger than myself. For this half marathon, I'm training to raise money
to find a cure for blood cancer.
Sydney B. was the young girl introduced at our Team In Training Kickoff meeting and her mother's story of Sydney's journey touched me deeply as she walked half way across the room displaying her beads of courage. When I got her card last week, it was a perfect reminder and I posted it on my refrigerator.
The other thing that kept me going was my mantra "I'm a Marine. I Can Do This." along with Marine cadences like "C-130 Rolling Down the Strip" and "I Want To Be A Drill Instructor" interspersed between my running music. Somehow they remind me of time when running was so easy that I took it for granted. Weird, but it worked for me today, thankfully!
