It’s Saturday, the one day of the week that I truly consider the “weekend”. A time to rest and get errands done. As I lay in bed, my subconscious begins it’s morning ritual…
“George, you don’t want to get up early on a Saturday to go do a 10K.”
“George, sleep in, you deserve it, you have already done 3-4 5Ks for the week, that is enough.”
“George, we don’t sleep in all week and Saturday is the only day to relax, take it easy.”
Persistence
Once I finally conquer my subconscious, usually using the 5-second rule, I finally crawl out of bed to get ready for my 10K around town. For the last two and half months, I have been working at building up my stamina. At least 3-4 times per week I get up at 5 AM, get ready, head to the gym and jump on a treadmill to do my 5K.
I am a big walker, not much of a runner, so most mornings I crank the incline on the treadmill up to 15 (the highest it will do) and pace up to 4.0 miles per hour (mph) (about a 15:00 per mile) to 4.3 mph (about a 14:00 per mile). I like the incline as it helps me to burn more calories (see my article about incline or not) and I try to keep the fastest pace possible since I am walking more than anything. This helps me to build my stamina.
On Saturdays, I have been getting outside and walk/run a 10K around my town.
First is the Worst
I remember the first Saturday I decided to try a 10K, it was May 5, 2018. I remember having no real play in mind. I knew that I needed to go 6.2 miles, but I figured I would just walk 3.1 miles away from my house and then walk back. I headed out that morning and the first 3.1 miles wasn’t so bad. I had been doing my 5Ks every morning and that was at an incline, so walking around town on the flat streets was easier. I was running a little, walking a lot but I was moving along.
About the point that I hit 4.5 miles, I was wondering what had I gotten myself into? I was dying. I very quickly started to feel every bone and muscle in my body begin to hurt. I knew that I wanted to do this, so I just kept pushing. I was finally able to finish, but I paid for it for days.
Fast Forward
Repeat this process for 10 more weeks and I was wondering to myself if I was ever going to be able to achieve my goal of participating in a 13.1 mile half marathon. Every week as I finished my 10K, I was miserably tired and exhausted. I wondered if I was ever going to make it.
Well, I am not there yet, but I can tell you… today I KILLED IT.
That’s right… I KILLED IT.
All of the weeks of persistence finally paid off. When I did my 10K today, I really went for it. Running more than I ever had before, walking less and I shaved two (2) minutes off each mile, reducing my overall time by twelve (12) minutes.
The best part is that I wasn’t exhausted. A little sore, but overall feeling great and getting ready to head out to do more errands for the day.
Stick with It!
I know it’s hard, I know it’s difficult, I know your subconscious is telling you to relax because mine does it too.
BUT you must persist. Keep trying, keep moving, and you will be able to reach your goals.
I know it, because I have DONE IT!
Do you have a persistence story? Share your experiences of persistence with me.
