Skip to main content

Reality Check

This training cycle has been full of ups and downs.  Lately, it seems more downs than ups.  As I tried to study for my upcoming neurology exam surfed Facebook pretending to take a "study break", it occurred to me...I've been WAY too hard on myself.

I'm admitting it:  I don't give myself nearly enough credit for what I have and do achieve.  I'm realizing how true this picture really is for me at this point in my life.


I have not let myself be the runner I am right now.  No wonder I'm having trouble being the runner I want to be.  

I downplay and diminish what I am able and trying to do nearly constantly.  Why?  I don't know.  It's something I've always done.  But, I realized that when it comes to my running, for some reason I expect the performance of and critique myself at the level of an elite runner (um, Kara Goucher anyone?).  However, the truth is my training, nutrition, etc. is not that of an elite runner - it's that of a crazy amateur real person with too much on her plate.  Here's my reality check:

1. I'm not an elite runner.  I'm a wife and mother of two running on caffeine and too little sleep trying to finish graduate school who has precious little time to train.  I need to accept that this is where I'm at in life, for now, and look forward to life after graduate school.

1.  My runs are going to be sporadic.  With the Gotta Run Husband in the military and working all hours of the day and night and the Gotta Run Kids still in diapers, my time to run is cut even shorter than it was by graduate school.  I need to remember, it is what it is and be grateful for whatever kind of run I CAN get in, when I do.

2. Until I can devote more time to it, i.e. after graduate school, I can't expect the quick progression I was hoping for.  I eat on the run, sleep too little, and consume more caffeine than I would like while in my final semester. There isn't anything I can do about it except get through it and look forward to the time when running can be more of a focus.

3.  I CAN still run while finishing this graduate program.  I will have to learn to accept that my times will be slower than I wanted and I may have to walk at times.  So?  I'm still going to finish.  And really, isn't that the ultimate goal?

So, today I'm making a conscious decision to truly live this:


No matter how slow I go, how long it takes me to finish, if I run I will still consider myself a runner.    The time will come when I can devote much more to training for a PR half and a full marathon.  For now, I am choosing to give each run my best effort and enjoy it.  After all, THAT'S why I started running. :)

Gotta Run :)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Training Better (and smarter!)

This is is my first official training cycle. For my first half marathon.  I've run races before, so how is this the first time I've trained?  Well, up until now I wasn't all that serious about my running nor was I tackling distances that required actual training. A view that's becoming entirely too common for my husband and my children. :( During this training cycle (this is week 8 of a 15 week plan) I've been injured twice (sprained ankle and a sprained LCL).  After two injuries it finally clicked - I need to adjust my thinking when it comes to training. Until recently I'd treated training the same as running for enjoyment, just doing it more frequently with a plan dictating distances to shoot for. Now I realize:   training is serious.  The more serious you take it and the more you put into it, the more you're going to benefit from it.  I'm dressed, my head is ready...now  if only my body would cooperate! All that being said, I
4 comments
Read more

Chicago Polar Dash - Race Recap

Well, after an unplanned break from blogging ( ah, the joys of graduate school and the holidays! ), I can officially say - I am BACK! 2014 is a new year and I've got big plans, big aspirations, and big events coming this year. But, more on that later… For now I attempt my first race recap - forgive me if it sucks. After the difficulty to complete last year's challenge of 13 in 2013 and the major events coming in 2014 ( HELLO graduation!!!!) ,  I knew a lot of races wasn't an option this year. Enter the year of BIG races. I'm still going to do a handful of races, but they'll be larger distances or big, fun events to travel to. Either way, each race will be carefully selected. :) The Chicago Polar Dash was my first race of 2014. Why did I choose this race? A couple of reasons really: 1) My friend Jess from  Run With Jess  was doing it and I've always wanted to do a race with her, 2) it had GREAT swag, and 3) it was a 14 mile race which would set a new distan
2 comments
Read more

Listen to What Pulls on Your Heart

This blog started a few years ago as an outlet. Somewhere to talk about my obsession with running. Somewhere to report race results. A place I could creatively tell my story for anyone willing to listen. But, as it always does, LIFE happened and the blog went by the wayside. Two kids turned into three. My dream job turned into graduate school to pursue my new dream job and several job changes after that. I began running farther and faster. I got a coach. I trained more and trained harder with bigger and bigger goals. And as it all grew (kids included), my time for blogging shrunk until I forgot about it. In that time I've been blessed to meet so many wonderful runners and coaches who have invested in me. Because of them and their efforts, I've grown immensely as a runner and accomplished goals I never thought were possible seven years ago when I started running. For a while now I've been feeling like I could and should do more to give back to the running community.
Post a Comment
Read more