Surprising myself.
I was busy with appointments and errands all morning and when I finally had time to go for my scheduled 5 km run, it was raining. Not pouring but a steady rain. I talked myself into just going for 3 km.
I decided to head out facing the rain so that it would be at my back on my way home. The first km it felt like I couldn't get into a running rhythm and it was pure torture. Much to my surprise I looked at my timer and I had run the first km in 5:55 min. Usually my 1 km lap times are around the 6:20 min mark so I was surprised I was under this benchmark because my body was not in it's groove.
By the second km the rain had soaked through my three layers and I am sure I resembled a drowned rat. It felt like vehicles passing by were looking at me like I was nuts but I plugged on. I finished the second km in 6:26 min, my body felt more coordinated. My mind also changed its tune and instead of focusing on the rain and how bad I felt, I began to consider how ironic it would be to set a new 5 km personal best in these conditions.
My remaining lap times were 6:22, 6:11 and 5:52 min. I completely surprised myself when I completed the 5 km in a new personal best time of 30 min 49 sec (only 1 second under my previous PB but still faster) Goes to show, that when faced with a challenging situation perseverance usually pays off.
A quote that I have posted on my fridge says much the same. I keep it on the fridge for those "tough" days when everything seems to be going wrong. It helps me find my inner desire and determination. It reads....
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." Anonymous.
Words to live by, don't you think?
I decided to head out facing the rain so that it would be at my back on my way home. The first km it felt like I couldn't get into a running rhythm and it was pure torture. Much to my surprise I looked at my timer and I had run the first km in 5:55 min. Usually my 1 km lap times are around the 6:20 min mark so I was surprised I was under this benchmark because my body was not in it's groove.
By the second km the rain had soaked through my three layers and I am sure I resembled a drowned rat. It felt like vehicles passing by were looking at me like I was nuts but I plugged on. I finished the second km in 6:26 min, my body felt more coordinated. My mind also changed its tune and instead of focusing on the rain and how bad I felt, I began to consider how ironic it would be to set a new 5 km personal best in these conditions.
My remaining lap times were 6:22, 6:11 and 5:52 min. I completely surprised myself when I completed the 5 km in a new personal best time of 30 min 49 sec (only 1 second under my previous PB but still faster) Goes to show, that when faced with a challenging situation perseverance usually pays off.
A quote that I have posted on my fridge says much the same. I keep it on the fridge for those "tough" days when everything seems to be going wrong. It helps me find my inner desire and determination. It reads....
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." Anonymous.
Words to live by, don't you think?
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