"Just run your race. Just run the race you've got that day."
My new mantra. Having promised my cousins Jen and Caitlin to run the Manchester 1/2 in what now feels like some old school blood brothers promise, I have had to adjust my thinking going into this race. Letting go of what I felt like my goals should have been - a time worth bragging about - feels good. But perhaps I should explain how I even got here.
Jen is a year older - a built-in best friend for life. Our lives have taken us miles apart from each other, but some things last despite time and space. Caitlin is our significantly younger cousin - we grew up babysitting her and now, well, we are all adults with a closeness that comes from sharing toys, tears, and time. So, we decided (Caitlin might have been bullied a bit), to do the Manchester 1/2 together (Caitlin and I are in Manchester; Jen will make the trek "home" from North Carolina.) And with just over two months to go, my training isn't where I wanted it to be at this point.
I started running because Jen inspired me to - really. I wouldn't describe either of us as natural athletes even considering some stints in youth athletics. I had never run more than two miles without someone with a whistle yelling at me to do so. And then, I started seeing Jen on Facebook running 1/2 marathons! I was impressed, and I figured, if she can, I can. That's not an insult - she knows what I mean. Anyway, I made up my mind to become a runner. I got fitted at our local running store, Runner's Alley, and I started following Couch to 5k. Meanwhile, I told Jen I wanted to do a half with her - Disney's Princess 1/2. I knew she would be game, and in February of 2011, I ran (jogged, trotted, dragged) 13.1 miles! My goals then were to run the whole thing - my time goal was thrown away as I was injured and didn't run the last two weeks - finish in under 3 hours, and not get picked up by the sweeper. Goals met, medal earned - awesome feeling.
Three years and a second child later, I am really just getting back into running again. But oddly, I feel stronger than ever. I have been doing some awesome cross training with Diamond Diva Boot Camp, and I am running faster than last time. But distance-wise, I am behind where my plan says I should be. I could give reasons, excuses for why, but it doesn't matter. I didn't start training when I should have. And yet, I am completely okay with it. This time, this race, there's a peace - a nothing to prove attitude. My running has always been about just doing it - not about records or others' admiration. So why go down that road now? November 2nd will come, and I will run my race - the race I have that day. Honestly, I can't wait.
