I have never really enjoyed running just for the sake of running. Before my senior year of high school all of my running involved a ball and a goal of some sort, which just made more sense to me. More points scored than the other team = WIN. Pretty straightforward process. In basketball especially, my coach believed we had to have more endurance than the other team, which meant a lot of running, but that running was hidden in various drills, games and often punishments for errors made during a practice.
My senior year of high school, I chose not to play softball and joined the new track team instead. I was already in shape from basketball season and even though I wasn't quick like a sprinter, I could hold my own in the 800 meters and the mile. It was everyone's first year, including the coach, so we just ran till we got tired, which for a group of high school kids isn't very long :) There was only one other female distance runner on our track team and I was a lot faster than her, primarily, because she had never played a sport before. I don't remember there being any male distance runners at all. I really am not even sure I ran a mile every practice. The sprinters didn't, so why should I??
My fastest mile was 6:06 and I did have a good kick for the last 200 meters. I won a couple of races and even went to the state meet, but I wouldn't say I was fast. 13 years later, I don't remember much about the state mile race. I just remember chatting with the other girls beforehand and finding out how quick their qualifying miles were and thinking, "I do NOT belong in this race! They are going to leave me in the dust." For a senior girl who was shy and easily embarrassed this was a tough realization right before a race where there was a load of people watching. I started next to a girl I had raced against before and knew I could beat. My family still teases me about watching me talk to her while we ran. I don't think I ACTUALLY talked to her much; I was just ensuring I knew where she was, so I wouldn't finish last.
Fast forward several years to current day...
Adam has been running regularly for a while now. When he started, I confess, I didn't think it would turn into much of a hobby. I didn't like it, so why would he? Well, I was wrong! He has been an inspiration for me. Watching him do a couple of races was exciting and looked like the runners were (mostly) having more fun than the spectators.
I began running, because I thought it was a hobby we could bond around and something we could do together. However, running together hasn't happened much for two reasons. We have to find someone to take care of Chloe and Autumn and Adam is faster than I am.
I have had a hard time fitting running into mine and our girls routine. Keeping up with my roles as wife, mother, home schooling teacher and primary home keeper are hard enough without adding in an hour or so of exercise 3/4 times per week. I think we have finally come up with a routine that works for us right now though.
The hardest thing for me to adjust to has been not running to WIN. For a few months I was racing myself each time I went out. Always trying to go faster than the time before. Therefore, I kept injuring myself. Nothing serious, just enough to be annoying and for me to start wondering what was going on.
At the beginning of November, some friends came to visit and Rachel and I ran together while they were here. It was SO MUCH fun! We ran at a conversational pace and I wasn't racing her! This was a major breakthrough. Whenever I ran with others (including Adam), I was always trying to finish first which did not lead to "fun runs" very much. Since then, running has been fun for me. I still usually run alone, but I enjoy my music, the sights, and the joy that being outside gives me. Of course, I still want to get faster, but I know that will come in time and that I won't get better if I have to keep taking breaks for a week or two due to an injury caused by pushing myself too hard.
I ran a 10K on New Year's Day in Hendersonville. Originally, Adam was going to run it with me, but then he signed up for the Country Music Half and spent all his race funds :) Plus, if he didn't, we didn't need to figure out what to do with Chloe and Autumn. I wanted to finish in less than an hour. I have been running with a group on Monday nights who generally run much faster than me and learned that I can do that, however, I didn't know if I could do it running alone. I did it by almost two minutes! I even walked through a couple of water stops to try and slow down, because I knew I couldn't keep up a sub 9 min pace for 6 miles. This was a "rolling hills" course and they weren't joking!
Chloe and Autumn also got to run their first race! In my opinion, it was a fun day! I think I know now why Adam looks for races to run. I didn't understand before, because I couldn't see paying money to participate in something that you knew you weren't going to win.
My senior year of high school, I chose not to play softball and joined the new track team instead. I was already in shape from basketball season and even though I wasn't quick like a sprinter, I could hold my own in the 800 meters and the mile. It was everyone's first year, including the coach, so we just ran till we got tired, which for a group of high school kids isn't very long :) There was only one other female distance runner on our track team and I was a lot faster than her, primarily, because she had never played a sport before. I don't remember there being any male distance runners at all. I really am not even sure I ran a mile every practice. The sprinters didn't, so why should I??
My fastest mile was 6:06 and I did have a good kick for the last 200 meters. I won a couple of races and even went to the state meet, but I wouldn't say I was fast. 13 years later, I don't remember much about the state mile race. I just remember chatting with the other girls beforehand and finding out how quick their qualifying miles were and thinking, "I do NOT belong in this race! They are going to leave me in the dust." For a senior girl who was shy and easily embarrassed this was a tough realization right before a race where there was a load of people watching. I started next to a girl I had raced against before and knew I could beat. My family still teases me about watching me talk to her while we ran. I don't think I ACTUALLY talked to her much; I was just ensuring I knew where she was, so I wouldn't finish last.
Fast forward several years to current day...
Adam has been running regularly for a while now. When he started, I confess, I didn't think it would turn into much of a hobby. I didn't like it, so why would he? Well, I was wrong! He has been an inspiration for me. Watching him do a couple of races was exciting and looked like the runners were (mostly) having more fun than the spectators.
I began running, because I thought it was a hobby we could bond around and something we could do together. However, running together hasn't happened much for two reasons. We have to find someone to take care of Chloe and Autumn and Adam is faster than I am.
I have had a hard time fitting running into mine and our girls routine. Keeping up with my roles as wife, mother, home schooling teacher and primary home keeper are hard enough without adding in an hour or so of exercise 3/4 times per week. I think we have finally come up with a routine that works for us right now though.
The hardest thing for me to adjust to has been not running to WIN. For a few months I was racing myself each time I went out. Always trying to go faster than the time before. Therefore, I kept injuring myself. Nothing serious, just enough to be annoying and for me to start wondering what was going on.
At the beginning of November, some friends came to visit and Rachel and I ran together while they were here. It was SO MUCH fun! We ran at a conversational pace and I wasn't racing her! This was a major breakthrough. Whenever I ran with others (including Adam), I was always trying to finish first which did not lead to "fun runs" very much. Since then, running has been fun for me. I still usually run alone, but I enjoy my music, the sights, and the joy that being outside gives me. Of course, I still want to get faster, but I know that will come in time and that I won't get better if I have to keep taking breaks for a week or two due to an injury caused by pushing myself too hard.
I ran a 10K on New Year's Day in Hendersonville. Originally, Adam was going to run it with me, but then he signed up for the Country Music Half and spent all his race funds :) Plus, if he didn't, we didn't need to figure out what to do with Chloe and Autumn. I wanted to finish in less than an hour. I have been running with a group on Monday nights who generally run much faster than me and learned that I can do that, however, I didn't know if I could do it running alone. I did it by almost two minutes! I even walked through a couple of water stops to try and slow down, because I knew I couldn't keep up a sub 9 min pace for 6 miles. This was a "rolling hills" course and they weren't joking!
Chloe and Autumn also got to run their first race! In my opinion, it was a fun day! I think I know now why Adam looks for races to run. I didn't understand before, because I couldn't see paying money to participate in something that you knew you weren't going to win.
I am so glad you are all enjoying yourselves. I looked for the pictures after we talked but didn't find them right away and then forgot to look again. :P
ReplyDeleteLove them. And you.