What am I running from?

This past May, I decided I needed to do something to get in shape and exercise (okay, at least get active) and I thought, "wouldn't it be nice to run?". Now, I've never been a runner and I still don't claim to be a runner, but I'm trying....

We decided as the "heads of household" of "We Are Reilly" that we would do this together -- something we could do as a couple and spend time together. It started off well -- we ran in a local 5K and our in our first race, we only walked once (that was because there was this massive hill the last 1/2 mile and I just couldn't' fathom running up it!) and our time was ~34 minutes! It was such an exhilarating feeling to complete that race, we decided to quickly find another 5K to run and started looking on-line for other local races. At this point, I still wasn't sure I enjoyed running, but I was starting to see how running helped me lose that baby weight (and since the 'baby' was 1, I thought it was about time!).

I get really excited about scheduling a race and keep thinking that I will one day enjoy running and I will just go out and run a 1/2 marathon (my goal in the next 1-2 years) with ease, but at about then 1.5 mile mark, I start re-thinking my running euphoria and I say to myself, "why would I ever want to run, this really isn't very fun".

Enough time had past that I had forgotten how hard running really is and I had that image in my head once again that I might be a good/fast runner someday. (The concept of running isn't difficult, it's the training your heart and lungs to get into a running rhythm).

So, we scheduled some more races....

Our 2nd 5K, I ran in 35 minutes -- kind of disappointed that I was slower. The 3rd 5K of the summer: 32 minutes and the 4th 5K: 30 minutes!!!

Now, despite running our fastest time, I cursed my husband the ENTIRE race, "I hate running, why are we doing this, I think I'm not going to run ever again, I can't see the finish line, I will have to run for an hour at this rate" (and on and on and on). God bless my husband for sticking by my side as I ran -- you see, he could probably run a 5K in 25 minutes, but my slow feet keep him back.

Now that the weather has been getting cooler and the sun fades away so early in the night, we haven't had a chance to run together in the evenings like we were in the summer. We have a race scheduled next Sunday and you know what -- I actually motivated myself to run 3 times in the last 2 weeks alone -- something I never thought I would do. I'm not highly motivated to exercise -- I find lots of other things to do before I need to exercise, but that's something I'm working on in my life.

So, once again I will go into the race with a wonderful mindset of "I think this time I will REALLY enjoy the race and maybe I'll even find running easy".....but, we all know what happens at mile 1.5....