Category: Running
Feedback – what’s next?
| May 15, 2013 | Posted by Carrie under FitFluential, Running |
When you have a paid job outside your home, you have a regular source of feedback. Are you doing a good job? Bad job? What can be improved? You interact with customers/clients/coworkers/bosses and can usually have an idea of how things are going. As a stay-at-home mom for so many years, I consistently felt unsure… more
No words.
| April 15, 2013 | Posted by Carrie under Running |
from The Cornerstone for Teachers United We Run on Facebook more
The Best Run
| April 8, 2013 | Posted by Carrie under Running, Uncategorized |
Today, the ever inspiring Amanda (Miss Zippy) is hosting a link up where we can share our Best Runs. She asked us to share our most favorite recent run and why it was our favorite. I’m not fast, I haven’t been running very far lately and usually the first mile sucks – but I do… more
The First Mile Sucks
| April 2, 2013 | Posted by Carrie under Running |
The first mile sucks. I’ve told this to many friends who want to take up running. It really does. It’s such a mental thing. You head out, especially if you’re really not in the mood for the run, and all you can do is almost count your steps and start to psych yourself out that… more
The first mile sucks. I’ve told this to many friends who want to take up running. It really does. It’s such a mental thing. You head out, especially if you’re really not in the mood for the run, and all you can do is almost count your steps and start to psych yourself out that however many miles you’re trying to run is too far. It’s too hard. It’s going to take forever.
The first mile sucks. It’s the mile when you think about every little ache and pain. You think that your foot felt funny, or your breathing is already fast and labored, or your music sucks and the bad playlist is going.
The first mile sucks.
Then something magical happens. The second mile gets easier. Your brain starts to stop second guessing your body. Your breathing settles in to a nice rhythm. If you run without music, that’s when you can start to hear the birds chirping, or when your brain shuts up enough that you begin to enjoy the silence.
After the first mile, you start to look around at the beauty of your surroundings (even if you sometimes have to look closely).
You stop second guessing your legs and your lungs and you just start to enjoy the run.
The first mile sucks. But, it gets better.
By the time you’ve finished the better miles, that first mile is almost forgotten. You know that you can do it. You just did it!
The next time you lace up your shoes and start the next sucky first mile, you know it’s going to get better and you remember not to give up. Keep going. It gets easier.
The first mile sucks. But, then you look back and smile and think about the good parts and look at your calendar to figure out when you get to run again.
I love making running a metaphor for many challenges in life. The hardest part is getting started. You know you’ll look back and be happy that you tackled that first mile. You’ll be happy that you didn’t let your own thoughts get in the way. Next time you think about not starting something that is “too hard”, remember that the first mile sucks. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it and look back with a smile.
