** Picture from a May 2008 5K race **
Four miles into my 7-mile leg of the Austin Marathon Relay yesterday I decided that I wasn't going to sign up for the Rock n' Roll 1/2 marathon in November. Four miles into my leg I was doing ok, but I certainly kept repeating the following: "Only 3 more miles to go. That's it. Just 3 and you're done! Keep moving! Keep moving! Only 3 more miles!!"
And that got me thinking... Can I call myself a runner? I'm not particularly fast. (I completed 7 miles at an average time of 10:38/per mile. My coach, Kelly, completed her 7 mile leg averaging 8:05/mile.) I'm not so sure I'm cut out for distance as 7 miles was just about all I wanted to do. Ever. I'm not a sprinter. I tend to keep a pretty even pace through the entire run. I'm becoming more fit with each workout, but I doubt I'll ever have the beef-jerky stringy look of a marathon-er. (not really sure I want that look, anyway!)
So - I'm thinking these thoughts as I'm scooting along Ceasar Chavez Sunday morning... pushing myself through the last 3 miles of the course... and then... My brain cries out "EUREKA!" Just out of the blue I decide that ... YES! YES! I am a runner! You want to know why?
Because...
I love running.
And because I love it so much, I'm determined to be the best 5K runner... or 10K runner... or maybe one day.. distance runner... I can be. I train. I'm getting faster. And most importantly...
I enjoy it. And that's all it takes people. A desire. A will. And the way will present itself. Once you label yourself, you become that label. A runner I am. A runner I'll always be.
Peace.
1 comment:
i am glad you love running, and you should be so proud with what you are doing. I admire you. Getting out and running alone makes you an awesome runner. way to go.
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