Training Day 16

I am in Texas for a week. The temperature is going to be over 100 degrees every day that I am here. I will be training at least twice while I am on vacation with the family.

I have been in Texas for 3 days and decided that today was the day that I was going to run. In fact, I was really proud of myself because although I brought my running shoes, I accidentally, on purpose, forgot to pack my running clothes and bought a new pair of shorts at Target.

It was 7:30 and 103 degrees outside when the family went running with mommy. I was so shocked by the heat; I did a combo of running/walking the way to the rec center, where the rest of family was going to play basketball while I continued to run. Then I ran/walked combo back to the beginning of the trail, and ran the entire way back to the rec center.

While on this death valley run, I had a chance to be completely honest with myself by saying that I have not training as hard as I can and that this has been a pattern in my life. I have always started a project, diet, workout really strong and somehow never complete it as strong as I started or not at all. I have known this about myself for a very long time and I have wanted to change it for a long time as well. I guess this is another reason why I signed up for this half-marathon...to push through my complacency that I have developed over the years and finish what I have started. This is also why I started this blog, to hold myself accountable to those who read it so that I may finish this task. I have so much riding on this race. My family is coming in town to support me; I have invested my family's time and money into this run as well. I know that I need to push through this funk and get to really start training like I originally planned.

So, today I pushed through the funk and ran in 103 degree heat in Dallas, TX. The greatest part of the run was this lone woman I saw walking. She reminded myself of me. She seemed lonely, trying to exercise to make herself feel better, but it simply was not doing the job. She was overweight, hunched over, as if trying to hide from everyone while she was walking this park trail. I saw her as I was running to the rec center to get the family and I repaid the kind nods that I have received from other runners to her. I simply smiles and nodded as we met eyes while she walked and I ran by each other. As the family and I walked on the park trail back home I saw this same woman running, holding her head up high, with the biggest smile on her face as she ran by me. I had the biggest smile on my face as she ran by as well.