I have been doing a lot of soul searching over the past few months, really making a conscious effort to figure out where I am in my life now and where I want to be.
In the midst of all this self-discovery, I've had a few A-Ha! moments that were running related, and they made me laugh. People ask me, "why running", and I've often wondered myself what it is specifically about running, as opposed to some other endeavor, that has resonated with me so deeply.
Ahem. My name is Alison, and I'm an over-achiever ("Hi Alison"). As a child, I was not necessarily athletic, but I excelled in competitive things -- I won a lot of awards for piano playing as a child, I always ran for student council or class president and I never lost an election. I was one of the top students in my class. I had a full scholarship to undergrad and law school. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, but to show that I thrive on achievement. Tangible success. At the start of every semester, a professor would hand out a syllabus -- this is what we are going to learn, this is what you are expected to complete, and at the end of the semester you will be graded.
In the real world, I don't get that kind of feedback. Nobody says, we are going to spend the next three months learning how to properly handle a toddler's temper tantrum, then you'll be rewarded with a good grade, and then we'll move on to another topic. Motherhood's rewards are plenty, but it's hard to gauge just how well you're doing.
Similarly, my law practice doesn't have tangible rewards. Sure, I enjoy the people that I work with, and in an economy that is over-saturated with JDs, just having a job in which I actually use my degree is a measure of success in itself. But my practice is an ongoing process -- there is no end reward. I close several real estate transactions each week, some more complicated than others, but it is rare that a closing results in a high-five moment. Sometimes not even a Thank You.
Over the years, I have forgotten that I am an over-achiever. Running brings back some of that satisfaction for me. I can choose a race, set a goal, create a plan. That race is going to happen, and I am going to get a result. If I train properly, I will hopefully reach my goal. It is a tangible result. There is a beginning and an end, then I can choose the next goal. I may not win races, but progress is satisfying.
Measurable results make me tick.
Speaking of ticking, week 10 had several moments where things just came together in a lovely way and made me realize that I have come a long way in this training cycle.
Monday: The blahs from the week before were still there. I wasn't motivated and it showed. I ran a sluggish five miles with leaden legs. This was my slowest run in probably two years. 5 miles at 10:11 pace.
Tuesday: Seems to have become my rest day.
Wednesday: A wonderful run with a friend. We met early and ran East, pausing for a few moments midway through to soak in the beauty of the sun rising over a quiet lake. I felt blessed to be healthy, blessed to live in such a beautiful place, and blessed to have a great friend to who is willing to listen to my ramblings. Something clicked with my running on this chatty morning too -- 6.25 miles at 9:17 pace.
Thursday: With an extra long scheduled for the weekend, my training plan eased up on speed workouts. The closest thing I had to speedwork was a 4-mile negative split run (2nd half faster than the 1st half, the same strategy recommended for racing, only much slower in my case). My first two miles were in the mid 9:20s and the second two were in the upper 8s. Interesting side note: on Wednesday, my daughter's bus was late leaving school because there was a black bear on school grounds. I started this Thursday morning run heading straight for the school (which I should have reached right at the turnaround point), but I remembered the bear about a half-mile before I got there, got spooked, and switched my route. Not exactly what I'd care to come across at 5:30 in the morning. Once again, this was a run that clicked. Overall: 4 miles at 9:08 pace.
Friday: Scheduled for 3 easy miles, I took my time getting ready. Normally I am out on the road before anyone else in the house wakes up, but on this day both of my kids caught me. I thought about skipping this one, since it was marked as an optional run, but I had a busy day at the office looming over me, so I took out some stress on the pavement. Another excellent run -- not too fast, just enjoyed the view and my music. 3.51 miles at 9:33.
Saturday: I can't believe that the best run of the week was a 20-miler. There were no pace goals in this run, so I vowed to keep it slower than my body wanted to go and to really enjoy the scenery. At five miles in, I stopped at a beach access and took a picture of the sunrise on my phone. The next thing I knew, I was at mile 12, pausing to take a photo of an amazing lake view. I stopped at mile 13 for a water refill, and realized I hadn't really stopped for a true break during this run like I normally do. I sat down for a few minutes and just enjoyed the feeling that I still had plenty left in me. At mile 17, I picked up the pace and kept it strong until I hit 20. Still feeling strong and not quite back to my car yet, I decided to keep running. I reached my car with 20.51 miles under my belt. Controlling the pace and keeping a relaxed attitude made this run the best 20-miler I've ever tackled. It also didn't hurt that the humidity, which was a mildly uncomfortable 75% when I started this run, dropped to 46% by the time I finished. It's been so soupy all summer long that I almost forgot what it felt like to run without my shoes soaking wet. Overall run: 20.51 miles at 9:55.
Total weekly mileage: 39.27 and feeling like I achieved something.
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