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i think running may be a forethought on everyone's minds today, as it is the one year anniversary of the boston marathon bombings. as i read the stories of the athletes and families affected by the event, i can't help but take the time to reflect on my own running journey up to this point.
three months ago today, i received my pretty pink nikes in the mail, laced them up, and huffed-n-puffed my way a mile and a half around the indoor track at my gym, using walk/run intervals. it was tough, and at the time i had never run a complete mile in my life, so i knew i had my work cut out for me.
it took a month of working with a training app, but i was finally able to work up to running a non-stop mile. it felt incredible. i was exhausted, my body was fatigued, and i needed tons of water to recover, but i had done something i had never done before. i felt like i had reached some huge achievement, and i couldn't wait for the next.
now, i run miles for an "easy" run or for speed work. i've done my fastest mile in 9:12 and the few one mile runs i do a week are no big deal anymore.
my most recent "long" run for my 10k training.
more than that, i can now run five miles non-stop, and it isn't awful. my body doesn't feel like it's dying and i know i could push on farther if i wanted to, but i'm sticking to my training to avoid potential injury. i feel confident with almost every run (each new distance brings a bit of nerves, but i think that's normal) and my pace stays rather consistent with each mile, which tells me i'm really training my body correctly. i'm eagerly awaiting my 10ks next month to see what time i can achieve; i have no doubt i'll be able to finish those 6.2 miles, despite them seeming impossible back in january.
today, with my two mile run, i'll be hitting 100 miles on my nikes. 100 miles in to my journey, and so much progress has already been made. i can't even imagine the miles boston marathoners have logged on their shoes, but maybe one day i'll be close. i'm running with boston in my heart today, with every story and journey they've shared as inspiration to my own.
