Monday, April 6, 2009

Motivational Mondays (April 6)

After running my 10K on Saturday, I should have felt great - at least mentally and emotionally.

I should have felt like I accomplished something, instead feeling like I fell short. Should have felt proud instead of just feeling tired.

But I didn't. I was tired, yes, but I was also a bit disappointed to be honest. I felt that my 56-minute finish was too slow, that I had perhaps set my sights too high by trying to beat me 10K PR.

But now, two days later I have a different view, thanks to my encouraging readers.

So, I didn't meet my goal. I didn't set a new highwater mark. So what? The comments were right on, as usual. I didn't meet my time but I accomplished something. I ran another 10K, my second in the last six months. And when in my life had I ever even thought about running any race, at any distance?

Um, that would be never.

What I've learned most from these last 48 hours - aside from planning and signing up for races in plenty of time - is to keep yourself grounded. Yeah, I have accomplished a lot in the last three years, things I never thought possible. I came a long way and have worked incredibly hard to get to where I am.

So why should I ever feel that running a 10K is a disappontment, let alone finishing it under an hour?

Have I become complacent? Did I forget about all those pounds that used to physically and emotionally weigh me down?

Thing is, I try very hard to never forget where I came from, to always remember the sacrifices I made to drop my weight and to become a runner. Three years ago I couldn't walk 10 kilometers at once. One year ago I had never even ran six miles at once.

And now I'm worried because I "only" ran it in 56:00.1? Am I serious?

My reaction is a bit of a slap in the face. It's almost like saying that my effort was in vain, that what I accomplished Saturday was not noteworthy when in fact its the exact opposite. Every race, every run, every mile should be an achievement. It should be something I'm happy about.

A 10K in 56 minutes? Yeah I did that. Damn proud of it too.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I so agree! We can use these words of wisdom in other areas of our lives as well. Another great post.

Raoulysgirl said...

THAT'S what I'm talking about! (I'll get off my soapbox now.) Good luck preparing for your next race!!!

Sarah said...

It's so true! You did GREAT! Congrats!! This post was a good reminder for me too, thank you.