New Running Milestone: 6 Miles

2012/10/21 at 8:23 pm | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, Inspiration, lifestyle change, Milestone, Victory, weight loss, weight loss blog | 4 Comments
Tags: Exercise, Milestone, running, Victory, weight loss, weight loss blog

When I was in the middle of my weight loss program, I would walk at least one mile during my lunch hour so that I could get at least a little bit of exercise in during the day. But as I continued to do this I soon came to realize that, while beneficial, walking was getting a little boring.

That’s when I bought the treadmill and started jogging on it at night. Not only was it something new but it was a way for me to kick things up a notch by going at a higher rate of speed. Not much higher but still faster than walking.

And that’s what weight loss and exercise are all about: trying new and challenging things to prove to yourself that nothing will stop you and that you can achieve lofty goals.

Today I challenged myself and met a goal I didn’t quite plan on: running over 6 miles.

Until today, I would run my standard 5k around the neighborhood on my predetermined path. But this morning I chose to mix it up a bit by running 5 miles on yet another predetermined route.

I hit the pavement at 7am knowing that 5 miles would be in the bag by the time I got home and that was nothing new. I had run 5 miles in the past without too much difficulty. But when I reached Mile 4, something inside of me clicked.

While jogging through the park I started to give myself a pep talk.

“Six miles…you can do six miles…four miles down…what’s another two…do it…DO IT!”

And with that I turned up the heat and started running faster, not knowing exactly which direction to go. I relied on the Sports Tracker app to keep track of my distance but as far as direction goes, I had no plans.

I just kept running until I reached the next major intersection and then started heading home. By then, I was at 5.25 miles so I kept on going. Up the street, down the street, back and forth until my app finally logged 6 miles.

In the end, I ran 6.06 miles or just short of 10k. This is good because I have made decided that 2013 will be the year I start running 10ks instead of 5ks (finances permitting).

You haven’t heard the best part of the story. At the end of my run, I jogged onto the lawn of my house I spiked my (empty) water bottle to the ground, clapped, threw a few fists into the air, and pretty much celebrated my accomplishment on my front yard. This was my first time running over 6 miles/nearly 10k and I was very happy about it.

There were a few neighbors outside when I was reveling in my personal victory and yes, as you can imagine, I was stared at by them. While it seemed like I may have been having a nervous breakdown or just going nuts in general, I can assure you that my reactions were solely based on the fact that I had just set a goal I hadn’t planned on – and I was pumped about it.

Here’s how it looked on my app (click to enlarge):

Look at the stats. Am I the fastest on two legs? No. Is 6 miles the most amazing distance ever recorded? Not to some but to me it is and the fact that I was out there no matter how slow I may have been going at times doesn’t change the fact that I’m still a runner.

I achieved something that wasn’t on my radar for the day, which will make running 5k seem like a walk in the park. This is why you must challenge yourself to better because one day, whether you plan on it or not, you will be.

And trust me when I say that when you get there, you will find it hard to contain your excitement.

Now go out and set some goals for yourself – then beat them 🙂