Sticking with it

The running thing? Yah, turns out I'm sticking with it this time. I ran the 5k at the end of April under a constant drizzle and a chill coming off the lake. It was not the ideal conditions - or so I thought. It was my first time ever running with other people and one concern I had was that my body would want to keep up with the crowd, that I'd push myself beyond my limits and fade away. Turns out all those weeks of training paid off. I did my thing. I ran at my pace. While other people flew past me I kept to the pace I was comfortable with and I was able to maintain a run for the whole 5k. (And on more than one occasion I passed those speedy people who would have to inevitably stop and walk, huffing and puffing for air. Should have paced yourself, I thought smugly). And when I approached the finished line instead of feeling exhausted and out of breath, I felt great. I could have run more.
And I did it. I achieved my goal: a sub-30 minute 5k after six weeks of training. It felt AWESOME. FANTASTIC. I now understand that whole "runner's high" thing. It's a high that will make one do crazy things. Crazy as in thinking I can run a half-marathon - 21.1km, more than FOUR TIMES longer than the longest distance I've ever run. Do a 10k first, I thought and others advised. But, I wanted to push myself to go further and faster. After the 5k I continued training, continued pushing myself and continued to work through the pain (I'm up to 8k!). There have been good runs and there have been bad runs and there will be many more as I begin training for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I officially registered Monday for the race that takes place five months and a day after I ran my first race. It isn't about losing weight or "exercising" anymore, it's about endurance and embracing my chance to do something while I have the time and health to be able to do it. It's about starting my 30s fitter than I've ever been and with an amazing accomplishment under my belt. I can't wait.