Hey Guys!

So glad it’s FRIDAY!

I slept funny on my left shoulder Monday night & my shoulder & arm have been hurting all week.  It’s like a dull ache that goes down into my fingers.  It needs to get better fast because I seriously can’t go to the doctor and tell him I hurt it while I was sleeping.  That’s just lame.

I had a realization this week – I run slow because I don’t run fast. Sounds pretty obvious, right?  Let me explain.

I make a lot of excuses when it comes to running.  I blame not running like I should on injuries, being too busy, wanting to spend time with Geoff, getting home too late, or just needing a break.

I’ve been frustrated over the last year because I haven’t been able to run as far or as fast as I used to.  But why would I be able to when I have found just about every reason to not run? When I was running my fastest and most mileage a week, I ran almost every day.  It wasn’t easy & I had to push myself.

It occurred to me a few weeks ago while Geoff & I were out running that I was letting myself off easy.  I was just keeping a pace that was comfortable for me.  I’m never going to get faster if I don’t push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s easy to write a post and tell everyone else they need to train harder, but to actually appl

Before our run this past Tuesday, I told Geoff that I would let him set the pace – knowing that he would push me harder than I normally would.  After a quick warm-up I decided that I would just try to push myself at first and then, if I needed, I would let Geoff step in.  I was able to pace us for the whole run & the difference was amazing.  It gave me a huge boost of confidence to know that I still had it in me to push out of my comfort zone – and survive!!

During that run on Tuesday, I cut 45 seconds off of my mile time & the run itself felt great.  In a strange way, it also seemed almost easier to run faster.  At first I thought it was just a good run, but I’ve been able to keep that pace during the rest of my runs this week.

I feel like a runner again.  I want to race.  Before I signed up for races because that’s what runners are supposed to do.  I also skipped all those races, too.

I’m still not back to the pace or mileage I want to be at, but it’s a start.