This morning I ran for 40 minutes. Well, jogged. Kinda slowly. Still, this is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I have NEVER run this long before in my life. I have passed through periods in which I have jogged regularly, but I never got beyond 30 minutes, and somehow I had always seen that as some kind of a limit for me. But no more!
I’ve always thought of myself as a weakling and challenged physically. I was the brunt of some major teasing in elementary school and junior high school for my inability to hit a volleyball, catch a baseball or connect with a soccer ball. And some of the worst teasing actually came from my junior high gym teacher (her nickname for me: “bird arms.” Talk about a teacher having a lifetime effect on a kid!). So it has only been since adulthood that I have made goals physically and actually reached some of them.
So this is a big deal for me. I know it’s really a little thing, especially since it was ON THE TREADMILL and not on real ground at all. Still, several months ago I was jogging five minutes at a time, so it has been a long, slow process.
And where to go from here? A marathon? No, no! I’m trying to extend life and its quality, not shorten it! (Although a half-marathon sounds interesting . . . maybe next year?) My goal is to get to 45 minutes and then hold there and try to increase my speed—also to start cross-training at that point. (I realized the need for this when I climbed the 250 steps of the Bunker Hill monument last month and about died.)
2 comments:
Go for the half marathon! (I wouldn't do a full one either). If you get serious about it, get a running partner. It makes a huge difference. I can give you a training plan and we can sign up and do one together!!
I meant to comment on this last week-- 40 minutes is a LONG way on a treadmill. I can barely do 30.
Yep, get a running partner and enter a race-- you'll be amazed at how your legs suddenly move faster on race day.
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