This Morning

 

Last night I finally switched my light off at 2.05am - needless to say I didn't want to get up this morning.  I woke up at about 6.15, rolled over and then it was 7.10 and I said I would get up at 7.30.  Well that became 8.00 and that became 8.23 before I managed to drag my lazy butt out of bed.  I let the dogs in and got my gear ready and was busy getting dressed when K asked me if I was going to run tonight.  I said no, I was going to run to Gogo and Papa this morning, then do the tax returns and then RELAX.  She asked if I would like her to come with me and I said I was just about to ask if she wanted to join me !

She got up and after getting herself organised, we were off.  She had said that she would run with me until we got to the road that my folks live in but she can't help herself - when we are running she has to go ahead.  Mind you, I keep telling her not to run at my pace and to run her own pace - so about 1.5km into the run, she took off and never looked back !!!!  I love that she wants to run with me in the first place and don't care that she is so much quicker than I am.

I had changed the interval from 1 min walk / 1 min 30 sec run to 1 min walk / 2 min run - who would have thought that 30 secs more of running would make such a big difference !!!!  I wasn't sure exactly how far it was to my folks place - I thought about 5 kms, so set my intervals for 36 mins because I figured if I am running just under 7 mins/km, that would be about right.  Well I got about 100m away from their place when my last interval started so I ran past, turned around and ran back and it was 36 mins 26 sec.  Pace was 7.05min/km which I was reasonably happy with given the longer distance and the fact that I have been running for less than 3 weeks.  We went and knocked on their door only to find that they weren't there !!!  We went and sat on the verandah and called them - they had come around to our house to visit - luckily we are only 5.14kms away and so they came back, met us along the road as we started to walk home, picked us up and dropped us at home.

While I was running and listening to the splits as I hit each km mark, I was thinking about how I was feeling and wanting to go faster and then thinking about how much more difficult it was running for 2 mins instead of running for 1 min 30 secs.  Then I thought about my Dad who ran The Comrades Marathon - 10 times - it is a 90km race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.  He also ran the 100 Miler once or twice - can you imagine running 100 miles - straight.  He must have been off his head.  While I was little, I never realised just what these achievements were, all I knew was that Dad was never home because he was always training.  Now that I am running, I can really appreciate just how fit he was and how much it must have cost him (and my Mom) to do those races - in time and training and gear although he ran is these horrible Tiger shoes that were as flat as pancakes with no support and stank to high heaven !!! 

The whole thought process while I was running made me realise that old saying "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" is so true - yes, maybe I am only running 3-5kms each time I go out, yes, I have only signed up for a 4km race on 13th May, yes my pace is not fantastic when I walk/run BUT I should give myself credit for actually getting out there and trying and, if my distances and times are not that flash now, imagine how much I can improve on them as I train more !!!!  I am trying to love myself for what I am achieving and not beat myself up for what I feel are short comings - because we all have to start somewhere and I have made my start.  I have the support of my family and my friends (most especially my on-line friends), I have the right gear, I have the motivation and I know that I am going to get better at running.

I have managed really well to maintain my weight.  I am going back to the naturopath tomorrow for the next lot of food I can start to introduce - carbs and sugars - so now it will be interesting to see how I manage to maintain.  I am really starting to accept my current weight as the weight that I probably will try to stay at - I am getting used to the idea that I will probably never be a 60's girl again.  For me the big plus is that I am accepting how I look. I am turning into a bit of a window whore - checking myself out when I walk past a window !!  It has been many years since I was even game to look at myself in a window !!!!

I am very grateful today to the Anzac's who fought for the country that I call home - who continue to protect this land so that we can lead the fantastic life that we do.  Enjoy the rest of Anzac Day and take care !

TFTD :  Set your goals high and don't stop until you get there - Bo Jackson