Momentum Monday: Just Run

Hellloooooooooooo Monday! It's the beginning of the week and raining. Boo! Where did our glorious sunshine go!?! I'm looking at the weather outlook for the week and all I see is rain. Looks like my Dumbo training will continue on in the rain! May showers bring June...mold?  I don't know, but it seems to be raining in other parts of the country too, so I guess we're not alone!

This weekend was an interesting one for me though.  On Saturday I was able to take my first long run since Easter weekend when my back issues started.  I was naturally nervous and wanting to be cautious about what I did during my run in hopes not to reinjure myself.


I went along the route I have done numerous times before and tried to keep a nice slow pace. I wasn't going for time, I was going for distance. During the run I had lots of different thoughts, though two were the most prominent; 1) it is TOO HOT to be running this late in the morning. I had gotten a late start and wasn't running until almost 10am, the sun was out in full force and there was no breeze. I remembered that my previous half training was during the cold season and now it's starting to heat up and I can't run these distances this late in the morning. Moral of the story: early rise on Saturday to get the mileage in before it gets too stinking hot!

Thought #2) Just. Run. I was getting down on myself for my pace time and how difficult it was to get through these 7 miles that I was able to do much easier before. I was getting myself into a foul mood just thinking about that when I thought to myself, I want running to be a lifelong journey, not something I do for a few years and stop. I want this to be a part of my life for as long as I can physically do it. This little hiccup, this bump in the road, is nothing but a blip on the screen of my total story of running. I am just getting back from injury, my body is still healing and I need to give myself a break! I am a runner, regardless of what anyone else says or what pace I'm running at. This is my life and my journey. 

So when I saw this quote I knew it was appropriate for today's Momentum Monday:

I know we get caught up in comparisons when it comes to our running. We always talk about PR's and going for a faster pace and trying to best so-and-so's time, using those more as a benchmark rather than a goal. The problem with that is, you may never achieve that level you are shooting for and in the meantime feel like we've failed because we aren't the running superstar we wanted so badly to be.

Well you know what I say?  Stop getting down on yourself!?!

You are a runner. You get your butt out there and pound that pavement, or blaze a dust cloud on that trail. You are part of something bigger, a movement, a common goal of bettering yourself with the consistent pushing of your limits. You are working on being the best version of yourself, and not trying to be another so-and-so. There is only one of you and being you is better than being an imitation of someone else.

I know I am victim of this myself. I see my running friends and the huge strides they are making and improving and I get angry with myself because I'm not as good as they are. But my journey is not like theirs; we don't share the same issues, suffer the same injuries, have the same setbacks. The common thing we do share is the love for running and the camaraderie it provides. It is what keeps us going and what keeps the sport pure. Of course there is always competition, if not with others than most definitely with ourselves.

So you know what I want to do? I want to embrace it and take my love of running for a ride. Stop letting these distractions get in the way of me enjoying something that brings me so much personal joy. We've got a long running journey ahead of us, lets enjoy the scenery!