What takes 18 minutes? An episode of Coronation Street without the adverts… A phone call to a friend to catch up on the weekly gossip… A nice cup of coffee while reading the newspaper on a Sunday morning.
I’ll tell you what I never imagined would take me 18 minutes… A 3k run on a Saturday morning without stopping or walking (running the lot). I couldn’t believe it, I still can’t!
Lying in bed I was debating whether or not to go out and get a short run in. My number one supporter, on the other side of the bed, wasn’t giving me an option. Up it was, the two of us in our running gear and out the door before I had time to argue. We (he) decided to try run a short new 3k route that has recently been made accessible – well he was going to run it and I was going to walk/run it, as per usual.
We started off and I set myself a goal of reaching a certain point of the route before I would allow myself to walk (around the 1k mark). Honestly, I wanted to walk long before I reached that particular spot but I pushed myself and got going. When I reached it, I convinced myself I could do a little more and kept going. I was keeping up with himself for the first time (though he did slow his pace for me) and soon enough found myself hitting the 2k mark and hadn’t stopped once. My legs started to get tired and my breathing harder so I slowed the pace down but didn’t stop (or walk). I had never run that far without walking at least once or twice, and knowing I was close enough to home I decided not to let myself stop. I kept going and reached home, the 3k mark, without walking or stopping once. I couldn’t believe it, the sense of achievement and pride in myself was unbelievable.
It’s the first time since I started running that I’ve ever continuously ran for that distance. It’s also the first time I feel I’ve broken the mental barrier and managed to keep going. My body was able for it physically but my mind hadn’t gotten there just yet. Now it has, and there will be no stopping me! Maybe I will run a 5k in it’s entirety much quicker than I expected!
Try and push yourself that little bit further – set yourself a goal and do an extra little bit. When you feel you need to walk try slowing your running pace instead, but listen to your body too and stop if you need to!
Tell yourself you can and you will!
Believe in yourself and the possibilities are endless.
Make the most of your 18 minutes.
Stay tuned,
Aislinn McFadden (Slimwithme_Molly)
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