Back in the game!

I ran a 5k this morning in North Austin to support a local foster care/adoption agency (www.familylinkkids.com)! Since it was an hour away and at 8 a.m., Jonathan and Jon stayed at home in bed and I headed out at 6:30 by myself. It was a mid-sized race with a lot of very energetic supporters. I actually recognized a guy from San Marcos there - he is one of the elite runners sponsored by our local running store, so I don't actually know him, but I recognized him from the group runs. I didn't stick around for the race results, but my guess is that he placed. My goal for the race was to finish it without walking and to enjoy myself! I haven't actually run 3 miles straight since sometime in early May because I am a complete pansy when it comes to running in the heat!! I took a few mini breaks to grab water at the water stations, and overall I was pleased with myself. Not my best, but not my worst 5k. I ran the first two miles at the same pace, and was looking forward to finishing the last mile a little faster, but as I rounded the turn that took us into mile 3, I saw a long, steady, ridiculous incline ahead of me. Pretty much the last mile was uphill...and I kind of bonked. Someone in a walker probably could have passed me at how slow I was jogging up that hill. In the back of my head, I told myself, "Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running" a la Dory in Finding Nemo. When I finished, I dumped a bottle of water over my head, and it was the most glorious feeling in the world!

Now I need to motivate myself to get up at 6 a.m. three times a week to run in my neighborhood and build my base back up for Fall half marathon training. I think I might be able to do it, since the past few months have been full of motivating myself to do things: do the dishes every night, help Jon pick up his toys before nap and before dinner ever day, generally keep my apartment in better shape, go to the gym four times a week, and eat more reasonable food. About six weeks ago after talking with a friend on the phone, I realized that I needed to quit talking about all of the stuff I wished I was better at, and just do it. Just take responsibility and do it. Since that mentality has helped me in other areas of my life, I think it should work with running too.