Saturday, January 19, 2013

Exsiste hic iam

Exsiste hic iam. Be here now. 

I've loved this phrase for years, to the point where I considered getting a tattoo of it when A) I still spoke Latin, and B) I still thought tattoos were a good idea. Neither of those are true anymore, but it's a mantra I continue to carry with me. It's easy to dwell on what I used to be capable of and focus on the past, but running is entirely about moving forward. In order to move forward, I need to be mindful of each step, here and now.


I ran two miles this morning. Correction: I ran one mile, stopped, huffed and puffed, paced around, caught my breath, and then ran another mile. I used to be better than this, and I want to be better than this. But this is where I am today, and it's important to embrace it. I know that in time two difficult miles will become two easy miles, will be come three miles, then four, and so on. But today I'm at two very unpretty miles. 


The only way back to long runs is to work through the short runs. There's no way to skip ahead and magically be able to run 10 miles. I need to push through these rusty miles. It isn't glamorous. It isn't easy.


But I'm here, now, and I'm trying.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Kate!

    Your blog is great. Have to tell you that I'm in the exact same place as you when it comes to running. How I long for the days where 6 miles was a "short" run. Now I run 1/4 mile on the treadmill and have to stop because I get a side ache. How quickly our bodies regress.

    Reading this has encouraged me to push harder though, so thank you! Keep up the great work and you'll be back to 10 miles in no time.

    -Bobby

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good luck with your training! You will get there. I am training for my first 26.2. My Sundal long runs are now up to 10-11 miles. Sadly, I need to have surgery on my foot tomorrow. Of all things, a dysplastic mole (so tiny) that will be melanoma within the next year or two!!! You know, go figure. 2 weeks out. Still 17 weeks to train for the 5.26.2013 race after that. Baby steps!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kate!

    I'm enjoying reading your blog. You're a warrior and it is motivating!

    It always amazes me how easily I lose my endurance. Right now I'm doing 2-2.5 miles on a treadmill, but it took me months and months to build up to that. If I skip just a week or two, I rapidly lose distance. That fact helps me to drag my sometimes unwilling body to the gym.

    You have many races under your belt (including a marathon!). I know you can do it.

    ReplyDelete