Way back in May, Spouse and I ran our first 10k together. Or rather, we ran the first mile and a half or so together, and the next four and three-quarters a few minutes apart. And upon finishing (not having died along the way) I thought, “Hells yeah, I’ve got to do this again! Bring on the Salmon Chase!” Because in May, September seemed so far away, and my future-vision was obscured by the giant mountain of Teaching My First Class that lay between May and September.
But now it’s four weeks until that race, and I’ve run exactly twice since May. I’ve biked between 15 and 25 miles a week since then, so my general fitness is pretty solid, but the 2-miler I did last Sunday tells me that running and biking couldn’t be more different. My poor quads screamed for a couple days afterwards. From 2 miles. If I’m going to work back up to 6.2 and make the entry fee worth my while (doing 10k in under an hour) I’m going to have to get serious about training again. And quick.
Words of encouragement? Discouragement? Does the fact that we’re trying to get sperm-and-egg to do its thing have any bearing on my decision? What about the fact that I’m trying to get chapter two of my dissertation off the ground? Am I just making excuses for something I’ll be sooo glad I did when it’s done?
DO IT!
Remember that feeling of accomplishment that you had, having completed your first 10K? Remember feeling the encouragement of your fellow runners and your committed fans on the side of the road? And how much fun we had that day in our back yard afterward?
DO IT!