Just Keep Running, Just Keep Changing
By this time in two weeks, I will have run my first half marathon. It’s insane to me what the body can do after training for a mere 12 weeks. When this whole adventure started, I was confident in my ability to run 2 to 3 miles. Now, I know I can go out and run 10 miles. It may not be easy, but I can do it. (My motto is kindly borrowed from Dory in Finding Nemo: “Just keep running. Just keep running.”)
A few things other things than my mileage have changed since I started on this journey, too. My workout clothes, for example. In the past, I had grown accustomed to wearing mismatched outfits only fit for the eyes of my dog watching me Zumba around the living room at 6 a.m. When it came to workouts at the gym or outside, I’d get myself decent looking, often sporting some fun new piece of workout clothing for an official FBG review. These days though, fashion and convenience have flown out the window. I know what I like to run in and what I don’t. I know which sports bras stack up and which, ahem, don’t keep the girls happy. I know at exactly what mile that once-perfect-for-group-ex pair of capris will ride up (mile 4), and that these never move from where they should be. The hair? Who cares—just get it out of my face.
The most dramatic change in my attitude has come with my footwear. My normal socks, which were previously fine for a workout, no longer make the grade. I need support, wicking properties and extra cushion (and apparently a $12-a-sock price tag). And if the three pairs (due to said price tag) that I own are not clean, I’ll wait to wash and dry them. (The more I type this out, the more I realize I may have running OCD…)
The shoes? Lordy, lordy. I religiously alternate between two different pairs of shoes to minimize blisters. And when I recently went shoe shopping, I didn’t pick the cutest shoes on sale. Shocker. Instead, I went with the sneaks best for my overpronating tootsies (and a $90 price tag). Not to mention that I DIDN’T CARE IF THEY GOT DIRTY. In fact, on my first run with them, I ran through not one, not two, but three puddles. Three months ago, a brand-new shoe would probably only be worn while working out inside the gym and wouldn’t even be worn to get to the gym if there was the slightest chance of rain. Nowadays, I could care less about what they look like or if they’re clean—it’s all about getting the run done and me being more comfortable and supported.
Photo grabbed from bfick on Flickr.