Highs and Lows.....

I have learned, when training for a race for over 5 months, there are many highs and lows. There are the good runs that get your spirits up; And the bad runs that make you want to give up. The good runs that make you think you can do anything; And the bad runs that make you doubt your ability to run 13.1 miles come race day. The good runs that trick you into thinking you can do a full marathon; And the bad runs that make every inch of your body hurt.

I have had many highs since that first "official" training run back in June. They seem, at times, to out number the highs. I finally learned to never let them get me down. At one point this summer, I felt it was over a month before I had a good run. I am just too hard on myself,  I know that. I just have to remember for every bad run, I know at some point there will be a good run. It might not be tomorrow, or even this week. But somewhere down the road, there will be a great run that blows you away. Always keep going and never give up.

Then there are the highs. That time when I went out for a simple two mile run, yet my legs felt so good that I went a full five miles. Or that time when our Start 2 Finish group ran 8 miles for the first time. The last two weeks have been full of highs. I completed two 5K races with finishing times under 26:30. Before last weekend, I had never completed a 5K under 30 minutes. Today I was able to finish third in my age group, something I never thought was possible. Yesterday was the Prairie Fire Marathon Half Marathon course preview day. The Start 2 Finish groups ran the first 12 miles of the 13.1 miles. Many of us decided to save that last mile for race day. I feel this will be an emotional finish for many of us. So many highs that make you feel great.