Run Your Own Race

First, super sorry about the radio silence over here this week.  Work has been nothing short of bananas so sleeping and eating have taken a bit of a priority over blogging. #sorry

Anyway, this post has been rolling around in my head for awhile and I thought what better timing than right before fall races start?

I slyly mentioned that I have a fall race lined up.

(It's in a few weeks but I'm still not spilling the beans just yet.  I have this irrational fear that if I talk about it I'll jinx myself and fall down and break a leg or something and won't be able to run.  See, totally irrational.)

Generally a few weeks before the race is the time I start to freak myself out and get all worked up about not running well.  I am sorta, super competitive with myself when I run and with every race I am determined to do MUCH better than the previous one.  

This competitiveness can go either way.

On one side, it is great and really forces me to do better and work harder.

On the flip side, I tend to stress myself out and do a terrible job of just going out for a casual, non timed run.

I thought I would share a couple running tidbits that have helped me get through hard runs and races.

Before the Pig last spring my bestest running buddy and partner in crime told me, 'run your own race'.

And it stopped me in my tracks.

I thought it was by far the best running quote I had ever heard. #sorrypinterest
It spoke so much truth to me.

The Pig was not the greatest race for me but that quote really helped me pull through. 

I came to terms with the fact that I was not racing anyone else but myself.

I was not competing with the girl in front of me that looked faster than me.

I was not racing the veteran runner who had probably run the Pig a million times.

I was running with myself, for myself.

So even if it was not a great race, I was doing it and that in itself is awesome.
I have kept this quote tucked in my running back pocket a lot lately and it has really helped me.

Last weekend I had it in my mind I wanted to run 12 miles.
I had not done 12 in quite a while and I really wanted to get a good, long run under my (water) belt.
Well I got to running group and the half marathon group was running 9.
Well dang.
I set out thinking I would just add 3 to on the end of my run.
And then half way through the run, I almost gave up.
Almost only did 9.
I was tired and it was very tempting to just run 9 and give up there.
I was dreading those 3 miles by myself kept thinking how awful they were going to be.
But then I remembered a quote I had read earlier that week, 'run the mile you are in'.
Meaning, don't worry about those last 3 miles, Sarah.  Run this moment you are in and the next thing you know, it will be over!
And that gave me the boost I needed to do those last 3 miles.

(not my best time...)

I started thinking about the mile I was running in at the moment and not counting down until I was done.  Not counting down the time or calculating how much longer it was going to take me.
I just ran and pushed through and soon enough it was over!

To me, running is about 80% a mental game and it is SUCH a hard thing to work through.
I am constantly battling my mind and the thoughts about how tired my legs or lungs are in order to finish a run.
Quotes like above really help me get over that mental hurdle while running.
I also often remind myself how great it will feel to be done and how accomplished I feel once I'm finished and that helps a lot too.

But seriously, running really sucks sometimes.
But when it is good, it is really, really good.
And new shoes help a lot too :)

Does it make me a real runner now that I've purchased the same shoes two times in a row?