What a difference a couple of days can make. This past week my little monkey was fighting a terrible stomach virus. Needless to say, I knew I couldn't strap him into the stroller with a fever and head out in this notorious Florida summer heat. This made for a skimpy week of running that I felt the repercussions of this morning. After a two-day hiatus (my goal is to never miss more than one day in a row) we hit the pavement and immediately the last 48 hours of idleness became painfully obvious. The first half of my run, okay honestly, fast-paced walk, was a screaming reminder that I have to stay steadfast in this goal I have committed to.
Now, I realize this is going to sound a bit extreme, but while I was feeling sorry for myself I suddenly remembered the words of my doctor when I was going through labor. "Push through the pain," she repeatedly told me. "Why the heck did I stop going to the gym?" I replied at the time (edited response). With that memory fresh in my mind, I put things into perspective, picked up a light jog, and repeated my new mantra, "Push through the pain, push through the pain..."
At the end of my run Tiger Woods told me that I had my best mile yet...really, he did. (Thanks to Nike+ and my IPod). And yes, I too wondered if he had ulterior motives (smile).
Point being, somehow feeling my worst thus far in the 200-day countdown I managed to push through and actually excel. Wow, just typing that sentence reminds me of how applicable it is to so many situations in life.
"He conquers who endures."
-Persius
7 comments:
Hi there, I just wanted to stop by and say hi- I just ran across your post on coolrunning.com I am also a new mom (my son is 6 months older than yours though) and training for my first half marathon (I'm doing the running for the bay in Apalachicola, fl) I was just curious how you deal with running in the heat here in florida?
Hi Melissa! I am so happy to have you as a part of my blog and would love to continue to hear about your progress and journey for the Apalachicola Half. I actually considered that run too but ended up deciding on the St. Pete half.
As far as dealing with the heat, it can definitely be a challenge. My first priority is making sure my little man stays hydrated so I give him a bottle right before we leave. I also have a nifty stroller fan (I'll post a pic for you) to help keep him cool. I also give him one of those frozen teething rings after I strap him in and he likes to hold on to that through the run. As for me, one of the positives of pushing a 20-lb. monkey in the stroller is there is a place to keep my water. I'm actually a little worried about not having the storage when I run without the stroller. My friend who is also training told me about a cool water bottle that straps to your hand. When she sends me a pic, I'll post that too! Also, the very best advice I got from a friend is to run as early in the morning as possible (with infants, we know that's usually not a problem, huh?). This actually makes those early morning squeals from the crib less dreaded (smile). Oh, and finally...anytime we see sprinklers on (which is frequent early in the morning) we run right through them. That's one of my son's favorite parts of the run. Hope that helps a bit! Stay in touch and keep us all posted on your training!!!
-Andrea
Good luck on your journey Andrea! I did my first half yesterday in Cleveland...you won't regret doing it!!
Thank you, Annie! Congratulations to you on your completion!! Please stay tuned and chime in with any advice you may have. I'm looking for all the feedback I can get. : )
omg I had to laugh. I use ipod and nike+ and I just received a congrats video from Tiger Woods - I guess him recording kudos is still happening.I was a little surprised.
I live in Tallahassee, FL, but committed to a race in Atlanta, GA around the same October/November date.
Hi Michelle! Good to have you here. Yes, the Tiger Woods greeting definitely gave me a giggle...not quite sure I would call it motivation. What race are you running? I lived in Tallahassee for a number of years a while back, while in school. Keep me posted on your training!
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