Written by July was a fast and furious month for me. Apart from starting a new job, there are birthdays, parties, friends, family, and the like. Add to that some oppressive heat and humidity that kept me more indoors than outdoors. Excuses, excuses….
I was trying to get my long runs in on Sundays, since Saturdays were largely booked. Still, I fell short of either my mileage or the full run many of the weeks. Last week I determined that if I wasn’t able to get out on July 30th then there was no point in training up for my marathon in October. So determined…I awoke and readied myself for a long run. The group was going 16 miles (where I should be) and I was targeting 14 in hopes of capitalizing on my later than scheduled marathon.
I was able to get 13.1 miles in on Saturday morning thanks to some friends in the running group. When I split off from them to complete my shorter run my energy levels sunk. It was hot, humid, and I’d already had signs of heat exhaustion. Still, I was able to recover and finish my long run thus getting myself back on track.
It isn’t enough to want the marathon. I need to want the training too. One doesn’t happen without the other in my head but I seemed to have foolishly separate the two. I’d rationalized that not getting my short runs was okay as long as I got out once a week. But, I wasn’t even doing that. No more. I want the training, I want the marathon, I want the healthiness that I’m building toward.
It is time to get serious and now I am.
