Learn to Run - Part 2

One week from today, at this hour, I will have completed my first HALF MARATHON, I will have cried my eyes out from having ACTUALLY completed that half marathon, and I will have eaten some delicious crap to treat myself for having trained my ass off, for having stuck with it, and for having REALLY done it. And between those [what are some VERY emotional] thoughts [for me], and all that other stuff I wrote down yesterday, it got the brain a-flowing on how the hell I got from desperately wanting to BE a runner, to not being able to NOT "be a runner" (minus the odd blip or two). So I'm going to blather on again re getting started running - re things I think are important that I didn't mention. At least for me they were/are important.

Tomorrow I'm done with this for awhile, I promise...

Your Body's a Manipulative Bitch
Your body is a big fat liar, a schemer, and a manipulative bitch/bastard. Seriously. And it will KEEP being a manipulative bitch for as long as you're a runner. Because even after running for 10 years on and off, I still have days where more than ANYTHING, I do NOT want to go. This morning was one of them. Honestly, I'm freaking TIRED, I'm done with running EIGHTEEN km, and I just want to hang out in my garden and get everything all beeauuuuteeeefulll. Plus, my belly was NOT happy this morning. It was REPEATEDLY not happy. So for about 3 hours I was fighting the need to go and get it done (so I could carry on with the rest of my day), vs the desperate want to just scrap it cuz I didn't think I could actually get through it. But eventually I went, because as I said above, there's only a week left until my half, so I HAVE to go, I NEED these extra runs, I CAN'T quit now. And shocker of all shockers? One of my best runs in weeks. I felt AMAZING! I was speedy, I was breathing like I was sitting on the couch, I felt like I was barely working at it, and the belly issues went away.

So when your body's telling you ONE thing, THINK another - challenge it! Because if you can get past how you THINK you feel, and really get out there and get it done, I guarantee 99% of the time you'll be so VERY glad you did. You might not luck out and feel great all the time, you might even have a crap run, but you'll be proud that you did it, youll have that runner's high from having done it, and you'll be glad it's done so there's no more guilt or fight! As one of my favorite sayings goes (from Lance Armstrong), "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.".

Know Yourself
My biggest weakness is sitting around getting comfortable, or resting, before a run. When I come home from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, if I don't IMMEDIATELY change into my gear and leave, I'm doomed. The fight WILL become harder, guaranteed. Same goes for Sundays, except that OF COURSE I'm going to sit around cuz I need my bowels to perform their duty before I head out to shake the hell out of them. So on Sundays, the rule is I can't do anything else (shopping, groceries, plans with friends) until AFTER I've run. I know myself, and I know that the longer I put it off, the less likely I'll be to actually go. I might be crazy insane for my running, and get a high off it like nothing else EVER, but I'm still human, and I need to manage those human tendencies to want to be comfortable on a couch or social with friends. Figure out YOUR tendencies, YOUR weaknesses, and learn to work around them. This kinda goes back to the whole "schedule your runs" thing - anybody can START a running program, but not everyone will stick with it long enough to get the rewards.

Suck It Up
Most people think running in the pissing rain would SUCK - maybe it'd even MORE than suck, it'd be DREADFUL, HORRIBLE, AWFUL. But honestly, it only sucks for the first 30 seconds, and then you're wet - oh well. You're also warmed up so heating up, you're focused on that next 2 minute sprint or big hill, and you're in a zone where the rain doesn't ACTUALLY matter. Plus how can you not feel even just the slightest KICK-ASS for being out there running IN the RAIN, while half your city is probably holed up getting fat cuz they're too afraid of the rain?

For me, dealing with rain is a part of life, which means it's a part of running. I live in a city where it rains for pretty much FOUR MONTHS straight out of the year, so if I'm not prepared for rain, I'm going to stop running every October, because as I said in the last post, I can't DO tracks or treadmills (too repetitive, I need to switch my routes/scenery). So for me, this meant buying an Elmer-Fudd-like waterproof hat - a hat that EVERY SINGLE DAY I PUT IT ON the husband says in his best Elmer Fudd voice, "be vewwy vewwy quiet...". But no matter how ridiculous I look in that hat, it keeps me dry, it keeps my HAIR dry so I don't get sick, and it keeps the rain off my face which for me is a real kicker. Rain on my legs, hands, arms? Whatever. Rain on my face? F*ing hate it!

So figure out your city's obstacles, do something to be READY for them, and suck it up. I'm sure it SOUNDS like a big fat lie, but really, you'll only notice the rain for the first 30 seconds, and then you'll be wet, and then there's not much to notice cuz you're probably out of breath and wondering how the hell you got yourself into this!