haackssecondunofficial10k.shuttheheckup.com

This one might be a longy. Long-ee? Enjoy it. Savor it. Roll it around in your mouth.

Eeeeenyways...

Remember on Thursday when I didn't run? Yeah, me, too. That was lame. So, this morning I was determined to run 10k. Started a little later than usual (7:20ish), but it's Saturday, so it's ok. Geared up (apparently one of my favorite sayings) and headed out. It was colder than I thought it'd be, but my glove kept my hand warm and my headband kept my forehead warm.

For the last few weeks I've saved the Two Gomers podcast that came out the previous Monday to listen to on my long run on Saturday. Best decision ever. They just make the time go by so quickly. I'm not concentrating on my running or breathing, I'm learning things, like, store a new container of all-natural peanut butter upside-down so the oil is at the bottom when you open it for the first time. And laughing when Anthony explains how similar the name Conan is to Gomer. Brilliant.

Not only did I complete 10k this morning, but I ran a PR of 1:05. Granted, I've only ever run 10k one other time and I'm not sure how long that one was, but I can guarantee it was longer than 1:05. That's a faster pace than I ran my one 5k race! Except I ran two of them, back-to-back. See what I did there? That's addition. Or multiplication, depending on if you...

It felt really good to complete it and I actually felt like I could keep going. That was probably just because I was excited, though. At one point toward the end I think I had my first "runner's high." Or maybe I had a slipped disk. Either way, I felt all tingly and like I could run forever. Pretty cool feeling.

When I got home, Julie asked, "Did you do it??" and I gave her the "hang loose" sign...for some reason...and showed her my watch. "What does this mean??" she asked. I told her the time and she was super happy and then told me I smelled so bad she was going to throw-up. Aww...love. She actually told me I needed to leave at least three times or she was going to puke, which leads me to conclude that the smell of success is not inspiring; it is revolting.

Now onto a bigger-picture issue...

I've been struggling a little bit with comparing myself to others and being satisfied with what I can do. Like, I have all these friends who can just run for miles and carry on conversations and...well, I can't do that. Facebook statuses that are just like, "I was bored, so I ran 10 miles today. Yawn." At least that's what they sound like in my head. And here's the thing: with very few exceptions, none of these people bother me at all. In fact, many of them are great friends and I'm super glad for them. But, I'm also jealous. And upset with myself. I want to be like them and I'm just...not.

And that's ok. Intellectually, I know that.

I'm not a natural distance runner. This is all really difficult for me, which should make it that much more rewarding. As long as I'm only looking at it from the perspective of who I am. The very fact that I ran over 6 miles today would have been an alien thought just four months ago. I wouldn't even have entertained it. Therefore, as much as I'd like to be in a different place with my running or that I'd like to be built differently to handle it better, I'm not. I'm here. And here is a really good and rewarding place. Here is a place I've never been before. Here is a place I never thought I'd be.

See, I'm a sprinter. I ran the 100 meter dash my freshman year of high school and that was plenty long for me. A short, 15-second burst (or whatever it was). In fact, that's how I live my life. I sprint. I do things (that I set my mind to) good and fast. And maybe that's what I'm learning. To take my time. To pace myself. To prepare, mentally and physically. To enjoy where I am, but to strive for more.

Seems like there's a lesson to be learned in here somewhere.