Heyyo everybody! Hope you all had an amazing weekend, whether it was a long one or not. We had a BBQ at my aunt and uncle’s camp site which was nearby. There is nothing I love more than spending time with family, but this time was different. Between this past year and my new job, I have grown up so much. First, freshman year taught me a lot about myself and how far I’ve come. Second, I am constantly talking at my job so it just carries over to home or wherever. I had a really fun time talking to my grandpa, step grandma, cousins, aunts, and uncles. And you know what? I wasn’t constantly thinking about food. I was simply enjoying my time with the people around me. Big changes right there!
But that isn’t my most recent realization that I’m talking about in the title. Yeah it’s a realization and a change, but I had another one.
I went on a run the other day and….uhhhh…it sucked. It was only 3 miles but I was constantly looking at my Garmin to see what my pace was. If I even got above 7:59, I would get mad at myself. And anything in the 9 minute, I would basically give up, mentally. I came home from that run defeated. I plugged my Garmin into my computer and cringed at the time I saw.
I decided to go on another run on Saturday. But this one was different. I told myself to only look at my watch every once in awhile. And if I was running a 8:00 min/mile or 9:00 min/mile or even 10:00 min/mile…who cares.
I run for me.
I run because I like the high.
I run for the alone time.
I run because I have too many running shorts.
Okay so maybe not the last one (sort of), but the main thing is: I run for me, myself, and I.
For my run on Saturday, I flipped my Garmin around so that the screen was on my wrist. That way, it would be harder to look at the time. I took it easy. And I liked it. Really and truly liked it! I would rather run 6 happy, relaxed miles than 3 unhappy, disappointed miles.
I did run the half marathon today, and I went in with that exact mentality. I didn’t care about time or pace. I just went with the flow.
I’ll post a recap on the race later but to sum it up, my time wasn’t great. But you know what, who cares?? I don’t. And I’m okay with that 🙂
Have you had any realizations lately?
Why do you run?
Health Freak College Girl 
This girl I know ran a 10K in 49 minutes today and finished 2nd overall, and posted something on her Facebook saying “I guess I’m a real runner now!”
And you know, if you think you have to run a certain time, pace, or distance to consider yourself a “real” runner, you’re totally missing the point. If you go out and run and enjoy yourself who cares what your time was? The only people who care about time in a race is yourself and the race organizer/timer and he/she only cares that it’s right, not what it is. I’ve had to realize this a lot myself because with recovering I’m not as fast as I once was but I still enjoy it :).
I hope you can have fun running without the negative thoughts- I would say leave the watch at home completely and just go out with your music and listen to your body and have a good time- at least once a week just run for you without it being timed, that really helps me :).
Those are amazing realizations, I love the reasons why you run! I couldn’t agree more and luckily I now understand that it is for me, a part of me but by no means defines me.
This is a FANTASTIC realization!!!!! I’ve totally been down that road, where I’d beat myself up for not running at least 7:30s. What that led to was me getting burnt out and injured, because I was constantly pushing my pace to satisfy that need to compete with myself…I never ran easy. BIG MISTAKE!! It’s so important to realize that slow/easy days are necessary, and that above all, if you don’t run simply because you love it…well, what’s the point? Maybe your HM time wasn’t your best, but if you had fun and felt good, that’s really all that matters 🙂
When I first began running a year ago, I had a fear that my perfectionism (it’s the worst!) would get in the way and bring me down when I didn’t complete a certain distance in a certain time. One of the best things I have done for myself is completely block the “all or nothing” mentality and allow myself to run however slow or far I want with no disappointment. It’s all a work in progress but it looks like you’re on your way!
Glad you had a better run and a more positive mentality girl! Positivity and a good attitude can really change any situation! Good for you!
I definitely had a hard time accepting my times when I began training for my first 10K. Up to that point, I had only run 5Ks and I could run a lot faster (though still by no means fast) on those shorter runs than on my longer runs. It took me probably more than half of my 12 weeks of training to realize that I needed to adjust my expectations. I wasn’t running the 10K to win it by any means: I was running it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. Accepting that my speed and endurance are not equal made a world of difference in the rest of my training. I stopped caring that I was running usually around a 10:45 pace on my six and seven milers — I was running six or seven miles, man! For the first time in my life! That time last year, I didn’t think I could even manage a 5K.
I actually ran a 5K two Saturdays ago, and time wise, it was my worst one yet. Honestly, though, I was so happy with myself for finishing and going as hard as I was able to go at that point that I didn’t care how bad my time was. It’s so freeing to stop worrying about the watch and start caring more about how your run went rather than how fast it went.
Hooray for awesome realizations! Time doesn’t matter as long as you had fun. 🙂 I bet your time is better than anything I could ever do.
Yay glad the second run went better! Running is totally a mental thing for me–some days I love it, some days I can’t stand it. It really is all about attitude though 🙂
Awesome realization girl! 😀 I sometimes get really frustrated with myself when I’m having a slow run too. But really, who cares what our time is? I’d much rather be able to have an enjoyable, longer run, than a short run where I push myself to the point where I’m uncomfortable and miserable. Running should be about having fun, and nothing more! 🙂
Wonderful realizations,Haley! I am so proud of you!
This post really shows me how far you’ve come and that it’s possible to improve one’s relationship to oneself. It gives me hope,thank you for this,girl. ❤
Such a huge post — and seriously well put! It’s so important, and it’s so easy to get caught up in your pace/comparing/feeling down over it and to forget that you’re supposed to feel good when you do something like running (or biking or swimming or whatever it is!). Good job. 🙂
I feel the same way, once I become way too focused on my speed (which is easy because I am SLOW) running just isn’t fun anymore. I want to push myself on one hand, but on the other hand I don’t want running to feel like a chore. I’m letting speed and distance come with time and trying to enjoy every run!
My realization has been that I realized my body is capable of more than I thought it was and that if I keep training it will keep giving back to me.
And I run because its what I love. It helps me relieve stress, put things in perspective, keeps me in shape, and its fun!.
Awesome realization! I like to say I run for those moments when I feel like I’m flying and everything falls into place. I have good runs and bad runs, fast ones and slow ones, but I run for my well-being and my health. I love to run, and that’s all that matters. I’ve gotten way better lately listening to my body and letting it run how it wants to, not how I want it to. And it’s awesome!
I’ve come to find when I start paying too much attention to pace then I really start to HATE my runs. Sometimes i take a week off from garmin – good for my mental sanity since I adore running.
Awesome post!
I love reading your blog because the posts you write that are like this are so brilliant. I really enjoyed reading this post 🙂 I’m so proud of you for being able to just let go of the worry about your time and enjoy your running, I think it’s such a fantastic thing to do! You’re listening to your body and making yourself happy and relaxed, and that is so important!
GOOD FOR YOU!!! i consider anything under 10 a success, so frankly i think you’re a freakin rockstar!! i def have a love/hate relationship with my garmin… i love it for keeping track of time and distance but sometimes i hate it for allowing me to know. sometimes i even venture out without it (gasp!) stay on this great, happy path you’ve got goin on girl! 🙂 🙂
Dang girl… you are fast! What a great realization though! We should be thankful that our bodies are able to run. I used to beat myself up too about my pace. That takes the joy out of running. Great realization girl! 🙂
Pingback: Memorial Day Half Marathon Race Recap | Health Freak College Girl