Push Yourself

I started running again in May.  I say again as if I have always been a runner.  The last time I ran was in the the Army.  I got out of the Army in 2005. You do the math.  In the Army, the slow runners are always at the front of formation. I hated that because I know I am slow and I didn't want to hinder other people.  After leaving the Army I didn't run. Ever. I only ran if something was after me or a bug was on me or something.  I could never get a breathing rhythm down and I just had bad memories of running in the military.  Then in May, I just went outside and started running.  And I ran and ran and have been running all summer; missing a few days here and there.

I have ran two 5k runs this summer.  I did not train for either of them.  However, I was getting a little discouraged about not running faster as I have been running almost all summer.  Yesterday, I tried to run a mile in 10 minutes on the treadmill (dreadmill).  I hate the treadmill because I always feel as if I am going to fall off.  Needless to say, I didn't accomplish my goal.

Today I said, "I am just gonna do it. I'm gonna run one mile in 10 minutes."  The last time I ran that time was in 2002 while in basic training.

This morning I put on my heart rate monitor.  I like to know how hard I am pushing myself.  My target heart rate is between 120-160.  I like to keep my heart rate in the 150's or higher.  The higher the heart rate, the higher the calorie burn.  I also grabbed my phone because I use the mapmyrun app to track my distance.  Since I've been running a while now, I already knew were my 1 mile marker was.  I also wanted to have the phone in case of an emergency.

I normally run with my camelback on because I am a heat casualty.  A heat casualty is someone who feels the effects of heat faster than the normal person. That means I will get heat headaches and be more susceptible to heat stroke. I have to have water with me at all times while in the heat.  Today I switched it up a little bit.  I drank a lot of water before my run and I didn't bring my camelback with me.  This is the first time I ran without my water. It was fairly breezy out today and the weather was perfect for a run.

And off I went, I was worried that I couldn't make my goal because I was getting tired. I wanted to slow down and start walking, but I didn't.  When I reached the one mile mark I stopped and looked at my heart rate monitor and the time was 10:29. I was so happy!!!  I was so happy that I ran an additional 1.8 miles more at a LEISURELY pace.  I took my time. I didn't want to exert too much without my water with me.  Going slow the rest of the way was okay with me.

The point of me telling this story is when you set a goal, work hard to achieve it and don't give up.  I was 30 seconds shy of my goal but I was within 10 minutes. Now I know I can only get better.  It's amazing what your body will do for you if you give your body 100%. Push yourself.

Next time I am bringing my water and going hard the entire time. I can do it. I know I can.

Be blessed!