Half-Marathon Training: Should I Stay or Should I Run?
By Cassie Strid
As each January 1 rolls around, so do my hopes that this will be my golden year. It’s the year I’ll get fit. I’ll accomplish my goals. I’ll be more active. And as every January 1 rolls away, so do some of my resolutions. This new year was no different in terms of goal setting, but it has been different in terms of follow-through.
My first step towards my goals? I enlisted a running partner. Together, we decided the best way to stick to my fitness plans would be to sign up for a race. I decided on the Horsetooth Half-Marathon located in my hometown of Fort Collins, Colo. After a resting period during the cold winter months and the busy holiday season, I’m now fully focused on training. In mid-January, I dragged myself outside to start running. Now that it’s April I’m realizing how far I’ve come since January.
Once I signed up for the race I decided there was no going back. So right now, that’s my number one enticement, because I surely don’t want to go out there and feel like I failed myself. I want to go out there and feel pride about what I’ve done for my body and what it’s done for me.
Getting started is definitely the hardest part. And I find that the longer I take off, the harder it is to get back into it. Stepping out my front door into the bitter cold isn’t much of a motivator. But I remind myself of my goals, and how pushing through to run in the (albeit dark and torturous) freezing cold will make me feel about myself. Not to mention, I’m looking forward to reaping the benefits of running so much—my favorite skinny jeans are waiting for me in my closet! But really, the main reason I’m training so hard is because I want to confidently say that I’ve achieved this dream of mine—and I’ll be able to say, with pride and enthusiasm, that this is my sport.
As I began running more consistently, I started to crave my runs. I remember the first time I ran four miles this season felt like the. Hardest. Run. Ever. But then came mile 5. Then 6. Then 7. And just last week I ran my first 9.5 miles of the year. I felt great. I felt so accomplished and felt like my heart, soul, and body were all thanking me for pushing what I once thought were my limits, but that I now know are my strengths.
Tell us on Facebook, how do you motivate yourself? Stay tuned for Cassie’s 10 Get Running Tips later this week!
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