Impatient

So it didn't happen quite as I had planned.

I was going to get up bright and early this morning and take the dog with me on a run of five miles. Once again, however, I was jolted awake at 4 am by our awesome neighbors, and I used that as an excuse to sleep a little later this morning. Once again, I did not get out the door for my run.

Though I should be getting more and more excited for the race, I find that instead, I'm actually just getting impatient. I don't really want to run these shorter training runs. While I know it's incorrect, I feel like they're almost a waste of time. At the very least, I should be doing speed work or something - anything that doesn't feel like I'm just marking time. Patience is a virtue, so they say, but not one I am immensely full of.

Still, I had to get the miles in. I didn't come this far to give up everything in the last three weeks of training, so after work, I headed to the gym. It would just be downright irresponsible for me to try and run 5 miles at 4:00 in the afternoon with the weather being the way it is these days.

Today, there was someone else in the gym, which is always a good motivator for me. I set the treadmill for just a little bit faster than my goal marathon pace and ran at that for four miles, saving a bit of a kick for the end. Halfway through the last mile, I started thinking about slowing down, but some oddly competitive part of my brain told me that the other person in the gym would think poorly of me if I slowed down, so I kept speeding up, ending in a fine time.

It's tough to get excited for the runs day after day, so eventually, I'll have to figure out a way to make them more entertaining. For starters, I should probably join up with a local running group so that I've got friends to run with at least once a week. In the meantime, I've only got about 50 miles left before race day, and I'm getting pumped. The plane tickets are purchased, transportation has been arranged, and the proper people have been notified. I can't turn back now.

And I wouldn't if I could.

Thursday's Run:
Indoors / Treadmill
5 Miles
34 Minutes, 5 Seconds