I can't believe how far I've come. I remember when I first started running. I decided to run up to the temple and back--from my apartment at the time, it was a little less than three miles. It's uphill the whole way, but it gets even worse right before you reach the temple. The road becomes steep half-mile climb up around the temple, where you can then loop around and head home. Last April, I couldn't even get halfway up the hill. I went home, satisfied that I sorta ran two and a half miles.
Don't get me wrong, two and a half miles was great for me at the time--the problem was, I settled. I didn't care if I got up to the top.
Today, not only did I run all the way around the temple, but I ran two miles uphill before I hit the steep hill. I pushed to the top without stopping, and then ran another four miles.
I have been pushing to reach six miles for a while now, but I kept running (excuse the pun) into problems. I've had digestive issues. This week, I developed knee tendonitis. It's been frustrating, but mostly scary. I have been terrified that I won't be able to run the Urbanathlon--I was afraid I just wasn't strong enough, mentally or physically, to reach that goal.
Today I proved myself wrong, and it felt great. My knee still throbbed, my mouth was dry, and I felt like puking part of the time, but I knew that I could keep going.
Although I have not met all of my goals yet, I'm going to keep pushing. Because I can do hard things.
New York, you better watch out because here I come!
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