Those who have been Facebook friends with me for awhile may recall my Diary of a Slacker Notes. I've not kept up with those - true to form, I've been slacking. Not only have I not kept up with recording my run-training progress, I've not kept up with my running. At least not very well. But that's about to change.
It isn't just the fact that most of my pants have gotten a bit too snug for comfort that has inspired me to snap out of this lazy streak and seriously get back to the running. Today was the Rock 'n Roll Marathon & Half Marathon - a race for which I'd signed up with every intention of completing. It's already been a year and a half since I ran one - far too long.
But I cut the timing of training-in-earnest awfully close as it was. And then I let some sickness and a little sadness take me out of the game all together. It got to the point where I knew if I tried to push it, I'd probably end up hurting myself. So the excuses won the day and I bailed.
It was the right decision, but as I was picking up my packet with my friend Tina at the Expo yesterday, I felt more than a twinge of regret that I wouldn't be running today. Even more so as I stood along the course today and watched all the runners go by. I was happy to cheer them on, but sad not to be running along side them.
One of my favorite things about today was listening to my friends, The Hulapoppers, play at the Mile 12/Mile 25 marker and seeing the look of sheer joy that would overtake some of the runners' faces as familiar tunes tickled their ears. In some, you'd see a little hop-skip in their stride. The music combined with the realization that they truly were in the home stretch. I remember what that feels like - when it sinks in that you really do only have a mile left to go, and what's a mile when you've just run 12 (or 25)?! There's nothing quite like it. And I aim to get there again.
As a show of solidarity to my friends who actually were running today, I'd resolved to go for a short run myself this morning before heading down to the race. It had been over a month since I'd run, and it seemed the least I could do. But when I woke up this morning, it was chilly, and I was already running a little late, and I knew I'd have to walk quite a way once I got down there, and.... The excuses tried to get the better of me again.
But I didn't let them. It wasn't much, but I churned out a mile - at a whopping 11:20 minute pace. Yeah. That's gonna need to improve. Substantially. And it will. Because it's embarrassing to acknowledge my slugginess when I know I'm capable of far better. So I'll be inflicting the return of my Slacker's Diary on any of you charitable enough to follow along. It'll help keep me focused. Which is a good sort of thing.
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