Going into yesterday's 8-mile run, I was pretty worried. The whole knee thing made me nervous, a stye that felt like the size of a golf ball had kept me in my glasses since Wednesday - and I wasn't sure how the transition back to contacts would be, and lastly the group was only doing five miles. It would be all on me to complete those last three miles. There would be no one there to see if I slowed to a walk, no one there to see if I took a shortcut. I've found that I do not have much self-discipline, so this extra three miles seemed like so much more than just an extra three miles.
As we started the run, I felt great. The knees felt good, contacts were fine, and I had Black Eyed Peas pumping through the iPod. I even had a PR (personal record) with my 5 mile time - 48 minutes. I was the first girl in, and that is always a huge confidence booster for me. So I finished the 5 feeling great, and I started on the last 3. About a mile and a half in, I was ready to throw in the towel. I knew from this point on it would be mind over matter. I was praying that a motivating song would be next on my playlist. My prayer was instantly answered as I heard...
"
Go, go, go, ale ale ale! (x2)
Go, go, go, here we go, yeah!
The cup of life, this is the one
Now is the time, don't ever stop
Push it along, gotta be strong
Push it along, right to the top"
Oh yes, Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life." The same song that sky-rocketed Ricky Martin to fame gave me that extra boost when I needed it the most. As cheesy as it sounds, I knew at this point that come hell or high-water, I would finish the run. And I did, and I felt like I was on top of the world. I had two PRs (5 mile @ 48 min, 8 mile @ 1:18). I still wish that I could chisel away a minute or so on my pace (which is normally about 9:45/mile), but for now I'm just focusing on completing the distances.
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