8 mile day

Yesterday, I ran 8 miles at Lake Hefner.  Colt and I do all of our long runs at Lake Hefner, regardless of the ridiculous and rude wind.  The first 4 were great.  The next 4 were awful.  I was running against the wind the entire last 4 miles.  It totally sucked the life out of me.  My goal pace quickly was thrown out the window.  I just wanted to finish.

Blame it on the wind, blame it on the fact that I ran once the week before, blame it on the fact that I should've eaten more beforehand ... whatever.  I'm sure those were all contributing factors.  However, sometimes it's just not good.  Sometimes it's just not fun.  Did I want to stop at mile 5?  YES.  Last week I ran 6 miles and felt amazing the entire time.  This was the exact opposite, but I had to finish my 8 miles.

I say all of this because if you run half marathons or marathons, people usually say things to you along the lines of, "Oh, I could never do that.  I can't even run 2 miles without having to stop.  I'm not a runner.  I just can't do it."  It's not true!  Folks, if I can run a half, you can. :)  There is nothing magical about it.  It's all mental.

So, if you're on the fence about registering for that 5k or that 10k or that half marathon, stop thinking about it and do it!  You may be great some days and you may be terrible some days, but you will certainly feel accomplished when you cross that finish line.