A Confession

I have a confession to make and this seems like as good of a place as any to make it.

Back in December I spoke on the phone with a running coach at our local Y. My mom had run with him in the past and really enjoyed his program. But of course, being a typical daughter, that wasn’t good enough for me. I had written off his 6-day a week running commitment as crazy, something I could never do. I was convinced that if I tried, I’d instantly get hurt. Then, I met his girlfriend and started to give more serious thought to joining his group. She was my physical therapist and I started to look up to her like a big sister.

Which is why on that December day, there I was giving him a call. I have to laugh when I think about that conversation. I was a) convinced I couldn’t run 6 days a week and b) convinced that his program didn’t allow me to run long enough. Seems like those two things are opposites, right? I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my boot camp classes and would get out of shape “only” running 30-45 per day.

Basically I was scared that I couldn’t do it. He asked me to try and run 6 days straight while I was on vacation, just 15-30 minutes per day. I’m embarrassed to say I couldn’t do it. Granted, I got sick and was still in physical therapy for what I thought were shin splints, but I couldn’t do it. When I got back, I thought about going to the program, but I was too scared to start late. So I ran on my own and kept doing what I was doing. When the Y’s spring schedule came out, I registered for the program. I figured if I registered I couldn’t back out. (Forget for a second that it’s free, lol.)

I’m now almost 10 weeks in, and I haven’t missed a one of my 6 days each week. I still go to boot camp, though I’ve given up my Saturday class and traded it in for a long run. And I’m loving it. I feel faster, stronger, more fit. The two days of boot camp give me the strength to get through the workouts, and the progressively longer runs are boosting my confidence. We did a tempo today and I was able to average 7:15/mile. I’ve never run that fast in my life.

So I was wrong and I’m admitting it here. Julie – thanks for reminding me that running is fun, pushing me to try Kevin’s program and for being someone I can look up to. Kevin – thanks for running an amazing program. I’m officially a convert and I totally believe in what your doing.

I thought I was nervous for the Mountain Goat. Now I can’t wait to see how it goes. It’s like they used to tell us in gymnastics. If you’ve done the skills day in and day out in practice, then you can be happy with what happens in the meet because you did the work. Can’t wait till Sunday!