…one giant leap for my commitment!
Yesterday I ran a 10k ‘race’ with a couple of friends and, when it was over, I really enjoyed it. Really enjoyed the first half of it too, actually. Getting all the way to the finish line wasn’t so much fun though and my legs had largely had enough after 7 kilometres.
Many moons ago I ran a few ultra-marathon ‘races’, once on a busted knee and usually in the UK’s fabled inclement weather. I put race in quotes though, as my desire is only ever to finish. Completion, not competition, is what I enjoy. When I was struggling more with mental health a couple of years ago, I was very downhearted that I couldn’t run like I once did; loathe to take part in something that wasn’t a challenge like 3 hours trotting up and down hills.
I’m pleased now to have realised that a flat 10k around a man-made lake provides the same level of challenge for where I’m at. I’m pleased now that I’m not hung up on being less than I was; instead I’m focused on becoming better than I am.
With this ‘race’ under my belt I can look forward to my next event, which will be a half-marathon. Not with a sense that I should be able to do this and shame on me if I can’t, but with a positive sense of it being a welcome challenge that I’ve made a big step toward.
