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Renewed Motivation

I love the start of a new month. It means that it is an opportunity for me to start over. It is a chance for me to set new goals. It is chance for me to reshape my plans.

For May 2018, my running goal is 100k (yeah....that is 62.13 miles....I don't know the last time I ran that many miles in one month, so.....)


Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking: "Why do I run?" ; "What is my goal?" ; "What is my motivation?"

These questions are very personal and will differ for everyone.

For me....

  • I run because it keeps me mentally sound. Most importantly, my runs are times that I commit to listening to sermons and uplifting music. I spend that time getting lost in my connection to my heavenly father. 
  • My current goal is to complete the three (3), YES THREE, half marathons that I am registered for later this year. You see, I make plans well in advance because they give me something to shoot for and forces me to eliminate excuses.
  • My motivation is to finally meet my expected race pace. My fastest half marathon to date was 2:03.50. That was Zooma Florida 2016. My motivation is to complete Zooma Florida 2018 in under 2:00.00. I have two "test runs" before then so.....I would love for you to join me. I hate running alone 😒😢 
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About a month ago, I ran the Springtime Tallahassee 10k for the first time in the twelve years I have lived in Tallahassee. I was so excited about finishing the race that I was not tracking my time throughout the race. 
After all.....it was a 6 mile race and I had not run over 3.5 miles in the preceding 45 days. You see, what I just typed served as my excuse for not pushing myself further. For not running faster. For not challenging myself. 

The truth is that I crossed the finish line with lots of energy. I was not gasping for breath. I did not need to take a minute to pull myself together. I was good to go. I was ready to move on to the next thing.

That is how I know that I did not give that race my all. I crossed the finish line and immediately told myself that it was time to get myself back in gear. 

I thought I did just that. I was excited about running the Palace Saloon 5k two weeks later.  It was just a 5k, so it should be easy. It is an almost flat course, so my average mile pace should make me smile.  But.... my time was over two minutes slower than last year AND that time was slower than the time before. Whoa!! I was definitely going backwards and running slower instead of moving forward and getting faster over time. 

There is no way I can take this trend into the Fall. So....over the next few weeks, watch this butterfly grow  in consistency in speed 😀

Tonight, May 1, was the beginning of the journey. Let's see how I progress throughout the month.

Here is the starting point:

Accountability is KEY! Will you help to keep me accountable to achieving my running goal(s)?

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