Last Sunday was a disaster in terms of running. I think a few things contributed to this. Firstly, I was late starting out. I began my run about two hours later than I normally do. I felt thrown off, running at a different time than normal. By the time I went out for my run, it had also begun to get pretty hot and humid. I felt like I wanted to hurry through my run and just get it done. I thought I’d run faster and just finish sooner than normal. What I ended up doing was really tiring myself out. By trying to hurry, I became really out of breath and over-heated. I had been planning to run three miles, but by the time I finished two, I had no more energy. I could not run another step. I had to walk the rest of the way.

Last weekend I had something to prove, that I could pound out my run and get it done. That didn’t work at all. This weekend, I was much more humble, with much better results. I spent time talking to myself last night before I went to bed and this morning before I started my run. I was actually afraid that since I couldn’t make it three miles last Sunday, that maybe I wouldn’t be able to do it today either. I decided to break down my run, mile by mile.

The first mile, I told myself, is just the warm-up mile. No big deal, and no pressure whatsoever. The second mile is the hardest, when I get really tired. But it’s just one mile. The third mile is the cool down mile, or the home stretch mile. By breaking down the miles, it didn’t seem like I was going to run 3 miles any longer, but just 1 mile, with a warm-up mile before and a home stretch mile after. This was my plan to conquer 3 miles, after 2 miles conquered me last week.

I was all set to go but this morning when I woke up, there were a lot of clouds. Oh no, I thought, it can’t rain!  I’ve got to get this run in to prove to myself that I can do it. Or, if for nothing else, I ate pizza last night, and I’ve got to run it off. And I thought, do I really think I can go up against Mother Nature? If it’s going to rain, it’s going to rain. As long as there is no lightening, I’ll be out there. I can’t stop Mother Nature, she is more powerful than me, but I’m going to try and get my run in. And that’s what I did.

I began running. Easy does it, I thought. Do not anticipate the two miles after this one. Just run lightly and keep your mind in the moment. Keep your mind focused on the warm up. I looked at my watch as I began running, and I decided not to look at it again for the time being. What I found, between not looking at my watch and also by how I broke down the run in my mind, was that I was able to run the entire first mile without stopping to walk! In fact, I ran the first mile all the way, then walked for 3 minutes, then ran the second mile all the way without stopping, then walked for 3 minutes, then ran the third mile all the way without stopping. The only walking breaks I took during my 3-mile run today were between the miles. I felt triumphant! I felt that even Mother Nature was smiling down at me. As soon as I finished the third mile, the sun came out. But also, a few rain drops came down at the same time, cooling me off. Was Mother Nature giving me a thumbs up? I cracked a smile in spite of myself.

I like to know where I am in my run. It helps me pace myself. I have gone a different direction on the walking trail for a few weeks in a row, and I’m still trying to find landmarks on that trail. It’s a very pretty run, but much of it looks the same. I’m always on the lookout for the mile markers, and trying to correlate them to the time on my watch. I also look for landmarks so I can know how far I am from the next mile marker. My goal is to know where I am in my run, without having to look at a watch or count miles, but just by the landmarks I see around me.

The first time I ran this alternate way on the walking trail, I didn’t know any of the landmarks. I had to gauge where I was by the time on my watch. Knowing that it takes me approximately 45 minutes to run three miles, I can tell by the time on my watch how far along I must be. I compare that to the pilot that flies by gauges only – not by looking out the window. It feels a little odd not to know any of the landmarks, but I know that I can trust in the timing on my watch to know where I am.

And so I have fun on this new pathway, watching to discover any and all landmarks and to make this unfamiliar path into a familiar one.

Lots of new challenges in my run this morning. I ran from my town to the next town over, but this time with a detour to run up and down some stairs and then back on my way to the next town. I was able to get to the next town in just about the same time with the detour as I have in the past without the detour.

In terms of timing, I ran the first 7 minutes without taking a walking break. Then, I ran for 4 minutes and walked for 2, instead of running for 3 minutes and walking for 2. I added an extra minute of running.

The most inspiriational thing that happened on my run this morning? I was just past my detour and my lungs were screaming from having run up and down the stairs. I had been planning to run for 4 minutes and walk for 2 minutes but at that particular moment, I was just about at the 3 minute mark and I began to think that I should walk after 3 minutes. I thought I was just too tired after the stairs. It just so happens that at the same time, there was a group of runners running past me. As the group passed me and I looked at my watch to see if I had reached the 3 minute mark, the last man in the group turned his head toward me as the group ran by. He said, “You’re doing great!” Could he tell that I was just about to give up and start walking after 3 minutes?

Whatever the case, it was just the encouragement that I needed.  I said “Thank you!” as he passed by, and I kept on running until the 4 minute mark. With his encouragement I found the strength and stamina to keep going and keep to my goal of 4 minutes running without stopping to walk.

This brief exchange also showed me that we should never under estimate the power of encouragement and a few kind words.