All year I have been training for the half marathon that is now less than a month away. When I initially agreed to run the distance I had a lot of free time to train, and putting in mileage wasn’t a struggle as I had a really open schedule. As soon as school started my schedule went from being wide open and free to heavily restricted. Putting in miles became a very difficult task. Over the semester I tried putting them in whenever I could, but as the semester progressed the number of miles per week steadily began to drop from 20 to 5. This was not the ideal way to train.
I still put the miles in. I had to. I shifted how I put the miles in to fit my hectic schedule as I attempt 20 hours of classes, and LSAT prep. I decided about mid-January/early February to run in the morning every day during the week for at least two miles. The goal was and still is to meet 10 miles and surpass it if I can.
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Honestly, some weeks it can be really hard to meet that goal I have set for myself. But, I get up every morning rain or shine and I hit the pavement surrounding my university and throughout the local neighborhoods. Usually, the first mile is always the roughest for me. I have to fight my urge to turn around after the first 100ft and head back to my warm bed. I know for a fact that I don’t have a happy look on my face, its been commented on by professors that have seen me running, because it is early, and I am slightly perturbed that I chose to run rather than get a little more sleep. But, if I want to succeed I have to be disciplined in the sacrifices that I have to make.
The race to me was a daunting distance when I first signed up, and still is right now even after the mileage that I put in week after week. I have decided to run a half marathon relay two weeks before the race to get my body to put in the longer distances. I am actually excited for this attempt as I haven’t run a race outside of high school. I am not sure if I will continue after the first leg, it is 6.5 miles, but if I am feeling it I will pursue the longer distance. How I do here in Shreveport will be a sign for what will be expected all the way out in Utah.
Running isn’t easy. I am not that fast, I am getting faster, and putting in mile after mile can sometimes be really tedious work. A thing I like to myself when I run in regards to this is the fact that a 12 minute mile is the same distance as a 6 min mile. No matter how fast I run it as long as I complete it I will be held in the same regard as the other runners, a finisher. So, I look forward to this race even though I am nervous about how I will do. I am excited to build upon the experience, and depending on my feelings afterward I may sign up for another local run back here in Shreveport. I love to run, and I look forward to where this road may take me.
