When Running Becomes Emotional

When I started running 5 years ago I never saw it as something that I could (or would) get emotional about. I know I've been talking a lot about running lately but it really is such a huge part of my life. It was something that I enjoyed doing and I never really pushed myself to get faster, I was comfortable with what I was doing. I've run a marathon but even after that race I wasn't emotional. However, over the the last year something has changed. 

I've been pushing myself. Pushing myself to see what I'm capable of. Honestly, it's scary. Scary because I didn't want to fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. I didn't want to worry about how fast someone else was or how amazing their endurance is when it comes to distance. I wanted to push myself for me. 

I've been working a lot on my distance lately but with that I've also been paying attention to my speed. Thanks to my SLAM classes, I've noticed a tremendous change. People don't realize how much of running is related to your core. Cross-training for me has been huge. I run several nights a week, sometimes with a group and sometimes solo. Last week I ran a solo 10 miler and was shocked when I saw my pace. The best part was that I felt great. I felt like I could keep going and not burn out.

We had a 10k on Saturday morning and I was feeling pretty good. I had a goal in my mind, but truth to be told, I never say them out loud. It was a pretty cold morning, which sometimes can mess with you. I started out at a pretty good pace and was instantly annoyed because I didn't want to burn out. Then it clicked, holy cow I feel good haha. I got close to mile 5 and that's where I saw Kyle. I thought to myself, "He has either slowed down or I have really sped up." Even pushing E, he is amazingly fast. I looked at my watch and grinned. The photographer caught me right after I looked.

Shortly after I was running side by side with Kyle. For the first time EVER! This was the first time that I was keeping pace with him and not slowing him down. He would never say it but I know running with me previously was hard for him because it hurt his knees. 

I felt the emotions welling up, which sounds silly. I knew I was going to crush my time because the hard work that I had put into this was paying off. 

Then I realized something, not only was I going to PR this race but Kyle was too. We were able to do it together and as a family. We crossed the finish line together and I burst into tears. This was the first time that the emotions really took a hold of me. It was special.

We finished at 51:31 which was an 8:19/mile pace. This may not mean much to others but it means a whole hell of a lot to me. 

I was emotional and so damn proud at the end of that race. It proves that hard work does pay off and that it's worth it. The best part is I'm having fun and we are having fun as a family.