It’s been awhile since I’ve written here and a lot has changed. I’m starting a new job this upcoming Monday and I’m moving to a new place in a month!
The Houston Marathon was a miss in terms of hitting my time goal, but there were a lot of other developments. I finished the marathon in 4:33:43, WAY slower than the sub-4:00 that I trained for! On the day of the race, I had a terrible attitude once I realized that my goal was slipping away from me early in the run (~ mile 5!!).
I’m going to warn you now– this is going to sound extremely cliche, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, just stop reading. I’m making an analogy about my life being like a marathon. During the marathon, I was so focused on making my goal, that I didn’t let myself enjoy the race when things weren’t going my way! But life is like that– there’s always going to be obstacles and setbacks, but you have to learn to enjoy the journey.
I hate to admit it, but I’m guilty of being one of those people who has always been obsessed with reaching goals and feel disappointed in myself if I’m not there yet. But the truth is, I’ve come a long way in many aspects of life and I ought to be proud of my accomplishments instead of focusing on what I haven’t done or what I don’t have. Not to say that I shouldn’t have goals, but that I ought to be happy with my life as it is. After all, this is it!
Regardless of what I’m trying to achieve, life is now and I can’t enjoy it if I’m convinced that I need to reach some goal in the future to be truly happy with myself. The good news is, I’m generally an optimistic person and believe that the mind is an extremely powerful tool in situations like this one. It’s really just a slight shift in attitude for me to take enjoyment in the present, no matter the situation.
Back on the subject of running, it didn’t take long for me to pick another race to train for– the Chicago Marathon. Turns out, I’ve become a bit of a fair-weather runner, so my training has been minimal and often, on treadmills (ick!). I’ve decided to let go of my sub-4:00 goal and I’ll try to PR (but it’s okay if I don’t!) but more importantly, I want to enjoy the race! I’m thankful to have an upcoming race to keep me motivated and thankful that I have friends that are coming with me to Chicago. 🙂 Also, I think I’m going to take a break from marathons after Chicago…
TANGLED SHOESTRINGS 