Part 2: Three half marathons, three states, three months?!

Maybe you remember last December when I asked the question in a previous blog of whether or not I could run three half marathons, in three different states, in three months.  I can tell you now that the definitive answer is YES!  <big smiles>

I noticed this year I didn't get as nervous before a half marathon because it was no longer an unknown.  The adrenaline rush wasn't quite as big or noticeable.  Like most addictions, you have to do a little more each time to continue to get the same high. 

This year, each half marathon had a different "feel" and different challenge.  My runner's high wasn't from nerves.  This year it was from running a much anticipated race and the largest I'd participated in at that time (Moab), or from a new PR (Springfield), or from an amazingly fun time helping to pace and support a friend running her first half (Cincinnati). 

Each race had it's own thrill....some more positive than others.  If you start feeling complacent in your running, pick a race and run it with a different mindset. If you are falling short of PRs, help a new runner do something he or she never thought they were capable of.  You will experience joy through them.  If you are still a new runner, hit the speedwork training to get a new PR.  If you are just feeling blah, pick a destination race and road trip with a group of friends to spice things up!  Or if the pressure of racing is getting to you, go for a run without gadgets or GPS and just enjoy your enviroment.  Take some time off and get back to basics of why you fell in love with running in the first place.

Going back to the fact that just a few months ago I thought three half marathons in such a short time to be an impossible task.  A year and a half ago, I thought ONE half marathon seemed impossible.  So do me a favor--pick something you previously thought was impossible--then go out there and prove yourself wrong!  ;)