Weekend Revelation

The big 10 mile race is next weekend so I decided to run 8 miles yesterday.  I've always considered it cheating if I walk at any point during a "run." How can I call myself a runner if I don't run the entire time? Are you ready for the revelation? It's really not cheating. When I went out to run, I ran for a few minutes then walked a minute and kept alternating. I stopped at home as I passed to get a drink of water and I paused my watch and stopped for a few seconds while I was on my run and I don't feel like I cheated. I finished the 8 miles and I finished it at a faster pace per mile than the 10k race. This was a great accomplishment so how could I possibly have been "cheating?" Who cares if I didn't run the entire way? I finished and that's what's important. Just because I walked some, doesn't mean I'm not a runner.

The splits above are from the Runkeeper app. My watch syncs with the app and Runkeeper says I ran 8.07 miles. That's why there's a 9th miles listed.

Now for the breakdown. As you can tell by my splits, I really struggled that last mile and did a lot of walking. It was definitely a mental battle. The first time I stopped to get water I was at 2.85 miles and I really wanted to just call it a day, but I knew I would be so disappointed in myself if I didn't finish. The 2nd and last time I stopped for water I was at 5.5 miles and just kept telling myself, "You're almost done now. Go finish." I didn't stop very long either time and unfortunately the neighbors didn't set up water stations for me, so I just stopped at home. I'm so glad that I didn't give up and that I just kept going. The feeling when I finished was so amazing. It was worth every step I took.

I can't believe I ran 8 miles...