I turn 50 tomorrow.
While attending a Mental Toughness seminar last month, I decided to challenge myself with running 50 miles over consecutive days without any breaks between days. I asked my personal trainer, who was giving the seminar, what she thought about my running 10 miles a day for 5 days totaling 50 miles in celebration of turning 50.
You might be thinking, You have a personal trainer?
Yes, yes I do.
It is not because I am an elite athlete, nor do I have an overabundance of money. I am a runner, though, and I have had several injuries that have cost me a lot of pain and a lot of money. The personal trainer helps to make sure I don’t have to have any more costly surgeries, and her guidance prevents something else from breaking or falling off me.
When I shared my challenge with my trainer, being a good trainer, she said,
NO!
Then, I came up with an alternative plan, 5 miles a day for 10 days straight with no breaks.
She said I needed breaks.
I said I didn’t want breaks.
She said go slowly and listen to your body.
I said,
OK.
Ten days ago, I began my journey. I live in a very hilly area, so each day has been full of big hills to climb. In addition, the last ten days have been the hottest the entire summer.
It has been a challenging ten days, but through my running miles, I have reset normal.
I used to walk up the big challenging hills around my neighborhood, or run round and round a circular route to avoid the big hills. Now, I plod up the hills. They are what they are. If it’s a hot day, I get up early. I have run each day without an iPod learning that I can run the distance on my own without the pounding beat of Pitbull, although I do love Pitbull’s songs.
Now, I am more confident in the journey.
Shortly, I will put on my running shoes to run the last five miles in my quest for 50 miles by the time I turn 50. It has poured down rain all day. There are flash flood warnings. The journey is never easy.
The rain won’t stop me, nor will the heat, nor the giant hills. I will plod through it.
I am not sure who will be joining me on tonight’s run. I asked a few people to run the last five with me, but I think the rain might keep them all away.
I have planned the route so that I end at the neighborhood bar, and I will have a cold beer after I am done!
Check back with me tomorrow to see how the last five in fifty are.
Cheers!
