{{{Another disclaimer: This post was written months and months ago! I think I wrote it in May.... I never published it because I didn't have any pictures, and I know that reading posts with absolutely not pictures can be boring!
Plus, I had a life altering event happen in May and that totally threw me off my groove!!! So, sorry again for no pictures! If you don't make it all the way through the post, I totally understand!}}}
When I
very first started running last June, there was a power pole off in the
distance that seemed pretty far away. I came to realize that just beyond that
power pole was my one mile marker and I often repeated to myself “just make it
to the power pole, just make it to the pole.”
When I
started running on the parkway in March, I repeated the same thing to myself.
In the beginning it was hard…. really hard!!
Have
you seen those Quaker commercials? There’s one with a little boy who’s riding a
bike and imagines he is biking up a huge hill, and another with a girl who is
swimming and imagines pirates and whales.
I had
to do the same thing. That power pole has become Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
I also started to picture myself running past certain places in Disneyland
to help the distance pass.... I imagine myself running down main street..... underneath the castle....... around the rivers of America..... past Splash Mountain! Whatever it takes to get me to that power pole!
I also
had to change what I was listening to. I started listening to a Disney station
on Pandora and it was been great! All I listen to when I run now is Disney
music!
Sound
cheesy? Probably!!
But it
seriously helps!!
For
instance……
“I’ll
Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan is one of my favorites! I sing to myself “I
must be SWIFT as a coursing river, with all the FORCE of a great typhoon, with
all the STRENGTH of a raging fire…”
And I
love it when Pocahontas sings “Just around the river bend”...... since I am running
right along side the river!!
Or
“Dig a little deeper, you ain’t got far ta go” from The Princess and the Frog
or “When your miles and miles from your nice warm bed” from Toy Story!
They
seriously motivate me!! I think my two most favorite though are “Hawaiian
Rollercoaster Ride” and “He Mele No Lilo” both from Lilo and Stich. I don’t
know what it is about those songs but they just keep me going!!
I
remember the day I ran two full miles without stopping!! March 2, 2013
I had run more
than a mile and a half and I was feeling great! I new I could make it to 1.75
miles! I made it to that point, still feeling awesome and a new song started on
Pandora…… “The Gospel Truth” which is the opening song to Hercules. Do you know
what one of the first lines in the song is…… “YOU GO GIRL”.
Awesome
moment!! I KNEW I could make it to two miles and I did!!
On
March 18, 2013 I ran 3 full miles without stopping meaning I had hit my half way
point!
On
April 11, 2013 I ran more than 4 miles!!
I
think back to those not so distant days on the rec center track when I felt
hopeless and realized that I’ve learned a few things:
1-
Some
days will be easier that others. On those hard days, I have to remember that I
CAN do it! I’m tougher than I think!
2-
I
often have to remind myself, slow and steady gets you to the end of the race…
eventually! It’s okay if I’m not super fast. It’s okay if someone can walk
quickly and keep up with me. All that matters is getting to the end of the
race!
3-
Running
is slightly easier when you smile the whole time and keep your head held high.
4-
I
KNOW that I will be able to run 6.2 miles by August 31st ….. I can
see myself making progress and I know that, with persistence, I will get there!
I
still have a ways to go…..
My
pace can definitely improve and at this point, each mile is still a challenge.
One day I want to go out and run three miles like it’s no big deal! I still
have days that I dread running, and there are times when I make excuses why I
can’t go.
But
slowly, and surely, I’m learning to love running.
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