C25K Day 63 - It Sneaks Up on You

Week 9 Day 2  3 miles total - 1 mile walking 2 miles running - Just one more day to finish C25K!!

C25K 5 min walk, 30 min run, 5 min walk

Except, I can't quite figure out how I will be capable of running a 5K after tomorrow.  5K is a little over 3 miles, and I'm only running 2 miles right now.  So, I'm not sure how this program can be complete.  Except, I've done all of it.  So, to prepare for the 5K I have to run next Saturday, I will keep adding onto my running time during the week, and pray that it's enough to make it work!  I planned out a new route that is 5K.  Hopefully that will be enough.

Fortunately, my speed has increased a little - and I didn't even notice it until yesterday.  My slow pace has constantly irked me.  Am I really running if I'm moving slower than some people walk?  I've consoled myself by remembering that I'm moving faster than when I was sitting on the sofa, but it still bothered me that I was moving so slow.

But the last two days, I've noticed that I'm a running ahead of where I used to be on my playlist by a whole song.  Since most of the songs on my playlist are 3.5 to 4.5 minutes, that means I'm running about 3-4 minutes faster than I used to.  That seems like a lot to me.    But, what surprises me the most is that I didn't realize I was running faster.  It just snuck up on me.  I thought I was moving at the same snail's pace I had been, but now I'm a slightly faster snail.

And I realize that it's kind of funny how things sneak up on you.  Fears sneak up.  Restrictions sneak up.  Weight sneaks up.  But, so too, does good stuff.  You take baby steps, and you think you're doing nothing, and then suddenly you realize, you're doing something.

A few weeks ago I was afraid to run up this hill.  On the day I decided to try it, I told myself to just look at the ground the whole way up.  I've discovered that if you just focus on the ground, just a step ahead, you can't really tell whether you're going up hill or downhill.  You can't see how far you have yet to go.  All you know is that you're taking a step.  And if you just go a step at a time, you can go up even the hardest, scariest hill.

So I went one step at a time up the hill.  And it worked.  I got to the top, and realized the hill wasn't that bad after all.  And today, without thinking about it, I ran up the hill a second time.  After I made my usual loop, I still had more running time, and the route I decided to take to fill in that time, took me back up the hill.  As I crested it, I realized that 3 or 4 weeks ago it would have been incomprehensible to me that I could run that hill twice in one session. I had not just overcome a fear, I had triumphed over it and soared way above it.   It makes me want to tackle more fears, take on more challenges.

I am learning so much about myself through this process.  Rediscovering my body and learning to appreciate my strength, both physical and internal.  I can't wait to see what comes next!