As most of you know I have reached my one year anniversary for continuously running and I have had a love/hate relationship with running for about seven years now. In the past I used to get to a point where I would get really good at running and I would feel amazing every time I would step outside and go for the 3 miler or 4 miler and when it was over I would always feel like I never ran far enough or hard enough. It got to a point where I would get cocky and decide that because I got to that point, it meant that I didn’t have to run as often. Well as we all know too well, that’s not how sports work. To stay good at a sport it means you have to continue to do that sport. Not stop or pull back to the point where you then have to start over.
Right now were at the hottest time of the year and every summer I run into the same problem. I want to quit running. Its not because I actually hate running, it’s because of the heat and humidity that makes me want to stop running and never do it again. When you run in the heat and humidity it feels like your running in molasses and every time you speed up you feel like you might trip and every time you slow down you just want to walk. The past week it has been getting harder and harder to continue my half marathon training and it’s because the heat is going higher and higher. Now some might say that I’m dehydrated or I’m not pushing hard enough but, I know that I’m pushing hard enough and I know I can do the six miles I need to do.....it just gets too difficult to run when you feel like you’re a puddle of skin and bones.
I’m not going to stop running and I’m not going to give up on the training. If I don’t make it in time for the half marathon then ill push it back a month and do the next one. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t make it to the October race. Now if a meteor is coming our way then yea it’s the end of the world and were all gonna die. Some heat and humidity is something I know I can survive, it’s just getting through the summer that takes all my strength and will. It’ll be gone before I know it and I’ll be out running in the cold and faster than ever. I just have to keep my head up and keep working. Nothing is ever easy and for me, this sport isn’t in the slightest bit easy going but I do enjoy it. I like the way it makes me feel and I like how I can keep in shape from it. It uses muscles that are supposed to be used and it makes me feel like a powerful human being.
Running isn’t for everyone and I do sometimes wonder why I’m doing the sport but, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it.
