Miles, Miles and More Miles

This year I decided to follow in my cousin Kelli's footsteps and make my New Year's Resolution to run a 5K(3.1 miles) a month. I started running off and on about a year ago but last November, I got more dedicated. I ran my first 5k in December and was just glad that I finished and I wasn't last! So far I have done really well with sticking to my resolution, except for June and July because running in triple digits just doesn't work for me! (I will make up for those 2 races I missed in the fall!)
So I decided about a month ago that it was time to raise the bar. I am now training for my first 10K(6.2 miles) in October, and a half-marathon(13 miles) in February. To people who are runners this is no big deal, but I am not a "runner"! I have never been a distance runner. When I played basketball, all I had to worry about was sprinting short distances up and down the court. Even when I did track in jr. high, I ran hurdles, again, short sprinted distances! This long distance running is a whole different ballgame!
Running isn't something that comes natural or easy for me... it is HARD! I don't just go out for a run to clear my head, like many runners do. I run for a purpose, to reach a goal. I have figured out that you learn a lot about yourself when you run though. I have learned that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was. I have had to push myself in ways that I haven't done before, in order to be successful at this. But I have also learned that I can't do this alone! The Lord runs with me every step I take! We have become VERY close since I began running. I spend most of my time praying that He will just keep picking up my feet and putting them back down. I have truly seen His work in times when I KNOW I was spent, but somehow finished my run. And that is part of what keeps me going! What an amazing feeling to know that I can feel God's grace and power just by going for a run!
So, Satudays are my long runs. That is when I have to push myself to run farther than the week before. The last 3 Saturdays I have run 5 miles, but tomorrow I jump to 6. That doesn't seem like much, but to someone who has NEVER run that far at one time, IT IS! And I get moody just thinking about it! It's crazy! I want to do it, so that I can say I did it, but just thinking about it is so defeating I want to cry! I have this mental block the higher my mileage gets. It just seems so overwhelming! I get to the point where I feel like I am chasing miles, like it is never ending, and it STINKS! But, tomorrow I will get up and begin my run at 6:15a.m., and hopefully be done by about 7:15. So, probably by the time anyone reads this, I will have completed my long run for the week and will be able to smile and say "I did it!"