As I was writing last night’s post, I was hit with a heavy dose of drowsiness. I actually fell asleep with a finger on the space bar: that’s how tired I was. I actually wanted to elaborate a little bit on what that quote was all about. See, I’m not entirely sure if it’s completely apparent what’s so special about it. I was going to write out a good explanation. Unfortunately, sleep won out so I just published the post.

So.

“These days, I’m actually able to run with people.”

Way back when I was just starting out, I always had issues keeping up with everyone. I’m sure weight was a factor, as well as my apparent lack of athleticism, but to me it wasn’t enough to sour me on the whole running experience. Each time we were given a route, I was determined to just finish it. That was the important thing. It didn’t matter if I came in much later. I knew I was slow, so I just accepted it. Sure, I wished I could go faster, but in the end simply wishing isn’t going to get results, right?

What were the implications then? Well, sure, in the earlier clinics the group leaders and occasionally the coach would be with me as I plodded along, but I knew that it would be wrong of me to expect them to be with me all the time. Sure, they may have been next to me, but in truth they weren’t really running with me. Does that make sense? I recognized that they had their own goals; they wouldn’t be able to reach those goals as long as they ran alongside me. I encouraged them to go ahead without me. As long as I knew the route, I’d be fine. So, after a while I just got used to running on my own.

By the time I got to half marathon training, I was still on my own a lot of the time. This time though, I had a few more people checking in on me from time to time. They weren’t necessarily running beside me, but they would at least keep an eye on me from a distance. I guess it was necessary due to the long distances. No one wanted me to just keel over mid-route. During these long runs, I learned to listen to my body, and recognize the difference been being a little tired and having true heavy fatigue. I was making little improvements here and there, but not anything drastic. It wasn’t until my third time through the training schedule that things really started changing.

During this third time through the schedule, I was asked to be a group leader by the coaches for that cycle. Of course, I questioned the rationale for such a decision, but they insisted that my consistency with training would be valuable. It didn’t matter if I was slow, because this time around there were people that were just as slow as I was. So, through the training I stuck with them and encouraged them as much as I could. Over time, due to slowing down, I actually found myself becoming a bit of a stronger runner. Shocking, really. I made it out of that training cycle with my best half marathon time.

My fourth half marathon training cycle happened this past summer. I was determined to make the training count, so I diligently followed the plan and tried to challenge myself whenever possible. I did find myself getting a little faster. I really do think that this was my breakthrough cycle. My body finally figured out what to do with itself. Sure, the resulting race was kind of crappy, but under more sympathetic conditions I know I would have improved my race time.

That all leads me to this clinic that I’m coaching right now. Due to my position, I’ve been doing my best to train earnestly just so I could set a good example. I’ve been pushing myself and I’ve been getting results. Also, I’ve been losing weight by counting calories. I’m sure my lighter frame is helping me to move better. Somehow it clicked that I was suddenly running more mid-pack than at the rear. It wasn’t something I was intentionally aiming for, but it’s almost as if it just happened.

So that’s been my progression over the past few years. It’s definitely heartening to see that persistence and training really do pay off. Perhaps it’s slower for some people than for others, but it just goes to show that sticking with something makes all the difference.