When the Run Gets Tough...

Saturday morning was long run day! I was looking forward to running but I knew it would be tough since I hadn't run all week due to my mission trip in Destin. Well...I ran one mile on Friday but I knew that wouldn't help with my endurance. Tough? Boy was it tough! I had to come up with some strategies during the run to keep me going! I had to get TOUGHER!

I knew as soon as I started running that this run would be tough. It had been almost a week since I had last run. The heat didn't help. And the humidity seemed to be stronger than ever. The first two miles went ok. And then I started getting pretty tired. And the voices started talking. You know those voices...the ones that say..."Just quit. You're not training for anything right now anyway. Stop and walk. 2 miles is good enough. No one will ever know you didn't run the whole way." And then the arguing began in my mind..."I don't want to quit. But this is so hard. How in the world did I ever run a full marathon? I'm not sure I like this running thing anymore. Why do my legs feel so heavy? I will NOT give up. But walking would be so much easier."

I knew then that I needed to shut my mind off. I didn't need to think about the doubts and how hard this run was. So I came up with a few strategies to help me pass the time...and miles.

• Set mini goals. I would tell myself to run to the next lightpole. Once I reached that lightpole I would pick a different object to make it to...like a mailbox. Or the house with the red door. Even though I never stopped running breaking it up into mini goals helped.
• Pray. Talking to God always helps the time pass by when I am running. And it's usually some of my best conversations with Him.
• Enjoy the scenery. I am bad about looking down at the road and not looking around me when I'm running. Focus on nature and God's creation and how beautiful this world is that we live in. Who knows...you may even see an animal or two. I've seen several foxes and bunny rabbits on my runs.
• Plan your next meal. Hey it's no secret that I run to eat lol! Why not be productive while you're running and plan out your next meal or next week's meals? I guarantee you won't be thinking about the run...you'll be thinking about food!
• This one takes some advance preparation...listen to an audio book while you run. There's nothing like taking your mind off something then reading an awesome book! I'm going to try this one next time!

So did I give in to those voices and quit? Or did my strategies work and I finished the run? You know me...I did NOT quit! I finished! And I was soooo happy to be done!!!! ;-)

QOTD: How do you deal when the run is tough?