Tales of the Imperfect Run
Tales of the Imperfect Run
By: Marlena Waters
How often have you known it’s a perfect day for a run? The weather is absolutely wonderful, you’ve eaten right, you’ve hydrated all day …I too have been there.
One day I spent my entire workday counting down the minutes until I could leave and enjoy this day running. However, it ended up being a horrible time both mentally and physically. I hadn’t made it to mile 1 and my ponytail swaying was annoying me…left, right, back and forth….really?!
At mile 2.3 my ankle started hurting, then my opposite knee. Okay, okay, these are just minor issues that runners face and overcome all the time ,right? Maybe, I should turn around and head back...but my pace, my pace, was close to where I wanted it to be.
The first mile was 12:30, the second 11:13, “Oh wow!” My spirit began to pick up and suddenly the running app updated me on my current status “mile 3, fifteen minutes and forty six seconds…”
I was no longer enthusiastic about my pace. I was no longer where I wanted to be, although I had been hopeful things were turning around since I was pushing through the emotional frustrations. Now I was determined to get a better pace for the next mile, except things simply went downhill –and by that I am not referring to elevation.
My stomach, for some unknown reason became upset and I just knew at any moment I would toss my cookies!
“This is so annoying all I want to do is feel okay enough to run...why isn’t it going away!”
Am I pounding the pavement too hard, am I running in an odd form because of the physical pain…and just that quick, my focus went back to the annoying ponytail swing.
In that moment, the wonderful breeze became increasingly aggravating, especially on the two millimeters of skin that was exposed between my visor and hairline. Next thing I know, I am walking, but not just waking. I am at a pace that would put the easiest Sunday walker to shame.
“Why am I doing this? Who suffers like this? I can’t do this, or can I?”
As I return to my car, I look at my mileage “5.73,” so close, so close, I HAVE to make it an even 6! I decide to run full out to get the additional mileage in to get six miles in and in that moment I realized my determination overcame my initial emotional feelings of defeat.
I don’t consider myself a runner because I am not fast, I can’t run more than one mile at a time but this run showed I am a stronger runner because of my willpower. At the end of this day, I understood, that every run will not be the perfect run. We can all have these days.
About Marlena Waters
Marlena Waters is a proud member of the BGR Nashville Chapter. You can check out her blog, http://roadieluv.wordpress.com/, where she shares stories from her time on the road doing what she loves to do, running, cycling, and driving.
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