Countdown

It is officially six days until I run my first ever half marathon.  I feel a whole mix of emotions at this point.  Sometimes I feel like I won’t have any problem running 13.1 miles.  But then there are other times where I think there is no way that I am going to be able to finish it.  Fortunately today was a day where I actually felt pretty good about it.

I told myself all day that I was going to run four miles.  I am a pretty firm believer that if you speak your goals out loud, they are more likely to be accomplished.  It is like an accountability factor.  I told myself and others (basically anyone who would listen) that I was going to run four miles.  So I did.  It was raining really bad here, so I had to run on the treadmill.  I really wanted to run outside since it wasn’t supposed to be hot, but I was forced on the treadmill.  It is better than nothing though and four miles is four miles no matter where you do it.

I am pretty happy with my time.  I finished it in 46:06.  I always try to do each mile in less than twelve minutes, mostly targeting around 11:00 to 11:30 per mile.  Obviously, I am running for distance, not time.  If I were only running a mile and a half, 11:00 or 11:30 per mile would not be good.  However, if I can run that for 13.1 miles, I will run it in under three hours and that will be good enough for me.  Remember: this is my FIRST half marathon.  In fact, it is my first race that is more than a 5k.  If I can do it in anything less than 3 hours, I will be ecstatic.

I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to do a quick check in.  Y’all probably won’t hear from me until after the half marathon.  Check back after September 4th for a post-race update!

Oh  and remember: talk about your goals to yourself and others.  It is great for accountability!