Posted by Michelle Hering on Tue, Sep 08, 2009
I'm feeling better these days (although I still don't know why I wasn't feeling well to begin with). My energy level is picking up and Reid (who's eight months now) is sleeping through the night. Because of this, I've been able to keep up the effort from my vacation—I've gone on three runs this week (three miles, four miles and six miles). I'll admit that I was a bit sore but it felt good. I had to go at a slower pace than I'm used to, but I'm OK with that. My marathon goal wasn't to win—it was simply to finish. And at this point, finishing the marathon would be winning in my book.
Speaking of the marathon, that brings me to my big decision. Do I participate in this marathon (which is just seven weeks away) with a low level of training or do I postpone it and run a different marathon so I have the chance to get in better shape? This isn't my first marathon so I feel that even though I haven't been running long distances yet, I know I'll be able to succeed when the time comes. Plus, I know I'm not pushing to set a personal record. I'm sure I'll be sore, but I'm also confident that I'd be able to finish.
Taking all of these things into consideration, I've decided to continue my training and run the marathon just liked I'd originally planned. There will be challenges along the way—we are traveling for three weekends and my husband will be out of town for a week, which means I have to take care of Reid and our dog Jack on my own—but this is something I want to do and know that I can do.
Ultimately, I can't let my personal goals get pushed aside because it isn't convenient. It's time to stand up for what I want and to take care of myself. After all, if I always allow my personal goals to take a back seat, what am I teaching my son?
To stay on track in spite of my challenges, I've reached out for help. My brother and sister will train with me while I'm on vacation, and I'm planning to take Reid on my runs while my husband is away. I'm going to do the best I can—and that's all I can ask of myself. I'm proud of my decision to keep pushing on and take it day by day.
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