SMALL VICTORIES

Dreams are exciting, but they can also feel overwhelming. When our goals are so big, they can almost feel impossible to accomplish. When something seems so far away, its easy to get discouraged. The negative thoughts set in, and soon you are asking yourself "Why the hell did I think I could do this?" Your mind is telling you to give it up already.

Dreams can be scary. Dreams take time. There isn't always a clear path. And most of the times it trial and error, practice and patience that gets you to the end goal. In a world of instant gratification this concept can be hard to understand.

I decided to run a half-marathon this summer. I completed my first half-marathon back in 2013, and it finished in 2:40. I am happy I finished, but I was less than pleased with my final time. Being a somewhat athletic person, who trained hard it's embarrassing. It doesn't help that I have a thin frame and long legs, which gives others the impression that I am a speedy runner. That is not the case whatsoever. I am a pretty slow runner, and I think I pace myself too much sometimes in effort to prevent myself from burning out toward the end of a run and not finishing it at all.

But here I am determined to do a second half-marathon in 2017 and beat my time. I am going to have to train harder than ever. That means dedicating more time and pushing my body past its limit. I am starting an official training plan next month. In the mean time I've just been trying to get myself back in shape, conditioning my body to moderate runs.  That way when the training comes I won't be completely overwhelmed.

But during this conditioning I decided to push.

My original goal this month was just to complete a 5-mile run, which I did last week. Today, I wanted to see if I could be a little faster since I am tired of being a slow-poke. I picked up my pace on the flat portions and let my feet patter hard as I ran down hill. I practiced my breathing through my nose and kept my posture good. I ran up multiple hills, and told myself it was completely okay to slow down. All that mattered was that I got to the top. My shins were aching, my feet were hurting. My legs were feeling wobbly as I inclined. It was terrible and I wanted to give up. But I pushed and kept through it all. Running truly is mind over matter.

I finished running my 5 miles in less than 50 minutes at a pace of 9:59 per mile. I know that's not very fast to most experience runners, but it was a victory for me. My 5 mile runs usually take well over 10 minutes per mile, and I was able to shave off a few minutes from my average. It was a small victory for me.

I smiled and told myself how much of a bad bitch I was. You see, I am still not a fast runner. But I am one step closer to PRing during this race. I still have a long way to go, but I am a lot closer than where I was.

Celebrating small victories are important.
One step closer to where I want to be.

Celebrate all of your victories along your path.