The Sunshine State of Mind

This year for Thanksgiving and Chanukah, affectionately coined "Thanksgivvukah," my family took a trip to Florida to celebrate with my grandparents. Our flight got in around 11AM on Thanksgiving and after going to lunch (at a Jewish deli, of course) I decided to lace up my shoes and go for a 4 mile pre-feast run. I had previously planned to run upon our arrival, as it called for one in my training schedule, but as I finished my lunch, I found myself thinking about the person I am becoming. Maybe I am, in fact, turning into a runner. I mean, who runs on the day that the average American consumes more than 4,500 calories? Apparently I do!

As I hit the road running in a beautiful Floridian gated community, I quickly learned that running in 75 degree heat is a lot harder than the 35-45 degrees that I have become accustomed to. Not only was I sweating like a hooker in church, but I had trouble getting into the groove necessary for me to actually enjoy my run. I found myself down and the miles lagging, somehow I found the strength to finish.

Fast forward two days, when I hit the road again, but this time for a 6 mile jaunt with a spa massage booked and waiting for me at the end. As I cruised through the neighborhood I felt great! I knew I had a steady pace going and kept thinking about how good that massage would feel on my legs after I finished. As my MapMyRun app alerted me to my final destination: 6 Miles, I was shocked at what I saw on my iPhone screen. My average pace was 10:02! Yes, 10:02!

In my last post I said that pace didn't matter, and it doesn't...at least not for this half-marathon-training-beginner. However, I am slowly learning that running is a personal race. A race against yourself. A race that you always want to do better than you did the previous time. I don't care about someone else's pace, all I care about is that I continue to improve. No doubt, I will have those hard days when I just can't get in the groove and want to give up, but there will also be great days. Training has made me feel better. I sleep better. I am even beginning to enjoy running. I used to find 4 miles a daunting task, but now those 4 miles are becoming my "short runs." Maybe there is hope for me. Maybe, just maybe, I will actually become a runner.

We enjoyed a run-free weekend at Disney World