Journey to Greatness: Hard hard HARD….. really hard work


MILES 31
Crazy no sleep day AGAIN.  Up at 3:30am…. drove my friend to the airport…. work…breakfast…take kids to morning practice….back home to pick up other kids for school….. workout….work again…..meeting…..pick up kids….take kids to practice….homework….dinner….pick up kids from practice….work again…. today I really thought I would die of exhaustion.  On the up side….some one bought my starbucks!  The car in front of me…. I was SO happy and thankful…. today I needed that!

Today was the day!  The running coach.  AWESOME.  I am so excited.  All of a sudden there is accountability for my running….. this coach is serious… he has trained athletes for olympic trials…. he works with paid athletes…. real deal athletes…. I am just a Mom with a hobby…. I don't know if I belong here……and then I am kind of scared….for the first time I am thinking about how hard 1:49 is going to be…. SEE I know how hard 1:53 was…. and GULP….. I am 100% not sure I can do that…… trying to get it under 2 see,s a much easier place to be…. Can I go back??? Can I be THERE again…???

We talked a little but about races and goals and physical and mental training….. he encouraged me to go to the run groups…. Oh gosh NO please…. these are people running a 2:18 marathon…. 5 minute mile people… I want to be first not last…. But training with this group will make me better…. UGH… how does a crazy competitive person go into something knowing they will be last…. might always be last…. for the opportunity to get better.  THIS is going to be very hard for me…..I mean seriously most days I can't even find matching socks…. I am actually trilled to find 2 that are about the same length….. will these people even want to run with me….??

I went through this running phase…. in races I would have a mental block in the last mile.  This sounds crazy, I know… but I was running all of these halves, wanting to hit under 2 so badly and I would get to the last mile and I was so tired and so sure I couldn't make it that I would stop.  Not walk, not jog, I would come to a dead halt.  Right in the middle of the course, no warning…. my body would freeze.  And I stood there like a deer in head lights….. my mind willing my body to move…. I wasn't hurt, I wasn't done, or past breaking or exhausted I was just plain freaked out.  Once it even happened twice.  2 times in the last mile.  Always the last mile.  And I crossed about 5 finish lines at 2:00:31… and I wanted to cry right there…. I wanted to turn around and quit before the finish…. DNF was better than FUAS(F' ed Up And Stopped).



The mental training is where I have always struggled.  I could be running a perfect pace…. just fine…. not over doing it… and some one will run along side me and all of a sudden…. it's hard…. they are faster…. I can't keep up…. freak out time….. and back off….. WHAT is THAT.  Actually the best race I ever had was a small 5k this summer….. I was a front runner for the first mile….. as the leader pack advanced and over took me….. I did not even try to keep up.  I ran about a 4th of a mile behind the top 5 racers….. all alone in 6th…. no one even close…. and hit my miles somewhere in the 7s.  There was no mental stress….. just running my race……

I need help with this.  Last place would be good for me.  I have never been last place at anything….. there is a valuable lesson here…. somewhere….. it is not going to be a fun lesson…. but it will have it's payoff….. and it might look something like 1:49:00 in Geist….

I have the GO to sign up for 3 spring halves…. we are thinking about the full in April….. But with Geist being so important…..I have to focus on keeping my priorities….….. last year I took 7 minutes off my time in one of the hardest hill races in area….. still that nagging voice…. what if I can't do it….. what if I fail….

My first assignment is to get my long run back….. so this weekend it is 8-10 miles….. training for spring begins now…….My whole year revolves around spring and fall racing…. and the time to prepare is now…… failing to prepare in preparing to fail….. Running group…. running group…..get beat again and again and again until your body learns how to overcome defeat…....   Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard….. I tell my self to remember that…. and that voice asks….. are you the hard work trying to beat the talent…. or the talent that is not working hard……I think I am the first of the two... Because none of this is easy. Every step is hard. It's always hard. Hard is what makes it great. Deep breath. Let's do this. 1 run at a time. Giving up the good for the great. Sometimes the will to believe is greater than the ability to achieve.... That's kind of the stuff that dreams are made of...... But the difference between a dream and a goal..... Is an entry form….

 Work Out
Bootcamp
Yoga

 Smoothie
1 cup Coconut water
cup mango, pineapple, peaches
1/4 cup coconut
1 apple
1 cup water




S

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