Super excited that I completed 50 miles of running in a month (Jan 2021) - this is the longest running streak I’ve had since my injury/half ironman race, over 1.5 years ago. This weekend, I also completed the Hot Chocolate 15k run - definitely the longest run since then :)
I have the hardest time motivating myself to start a run - so last month I signed up for any and every virtual challenge that came my way - no shame in wanting a medal/ badge/schwag for getting off the couch, whatever it takes! The Hot Chocolate 15k took a while to build up to, but Strava and Garmin have lots of variety in the challenges they offer (feel free to reach out if you’re curious)!
I was one of those people who worshipped pace and would get discouraged because I wasn’t fast enough. In some ways, I still do and hope to be a fast runner someday! But I am realizing and appreciating how slowing down will eventually make me a better runner; how not being crazy tired for the next run will mean that I actually put in the miles and the work (the famous 80-20 method, more on that in another post!); and how being regular/consistent trumps being fast any day. I am also realizing that those slow weekday runs that seem dull and repetitive are what eventually form the base of a solid long run (like everything else in life!).
I have a long way to go (I’m training for the marathon distance!) but here’s to small wins and celebrating showing up :) Lets see how far this goes :D
Sharing it here for my own motivation and in case someone else can relate too.
Are you getting back to running/ starting to run more or any other activity? How do you motivate yourself? Are there folks you follow/ talk to, who help motivate you? Lots of such peeps on my list!
(I’ve been meaning to post about this for a while, but my impostor syndrome keeps making me think I should wait till I have something more ‘significant’ to say..we all know how that goes)
