Goal Achieved – 500 Miles

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Written by: pitweston on September 4, 2012.

Back at the end of May, I ran a total of 229 miles. Just shy of 230 miles. I am now happy to report that today, (09/04/12) I accomplished another unwritten goal on my list. I reached 500 miles of running! While there are many people out there who have run many more miles than I have, I am not competing with them nor am I looking to beat the miles they’ve logged already. I am just ecstatic that I am still running and haven’t hung up my boots because like many projects and goals I have, I give up on them.

I picked up running back in January. There are days that I do regret running and ask myself as I am sweating and gasping for air, ‘Why on Earth do I do this to myself? Yahtzee is much more easier.’ But I keep on. I will admit that I don’t stray too far from my normal route. I know I need to. I may take a left one day and a right the next but it really doesn’t change. I like the path I run and being familiar with it lets me know when I hit mile 1, mile 2, and finally hit the 5k mark. Eventually I will switch it up and instead of just starting out from home, I will drive somewhere else to begin the race. I did write about my first actual race I did back in March. It was 4 miles and it was awesome. Running along side people keeps me going. I don’t want to stop and slow down when everyone else is running. It gives me that little boost that I need to cross that finish line with a time I can be proud of. When I run alone, I will take a rest after my first or second mile. I feel no shame in walking or resting. I rather take care of myself than always aim for a personal best. Sometimes you just need to walk a little and catch your breath. Although, I did do a run last month that was a 5k event. I’m proud of myself that I ran the entire 5k without stopping to walk or rest. Even better, I hit a personal best (21:09).

St Patty’s Day Run – 26:50 (8:55 pace)

All-Star 5K Run – 24:52 (8:02 pace) 

Glow Run – 22:26 (7:18 pace)

Susan G Komen Race For The Cure – 21.09 (7:03 pace)

I am happy that I’ve improved after each race. I remember when I first started running, I run a mile in 10 minutes. Keeping at it, I reached 9 minutes, then 8 minutes and now, I am down to a 6m:30s mile. I don’t always get that. I may have a rough run and hit 7 minutes or more. While I do hate myself for it, I am not upset. I know that I can always improve and instead of making that run about time, I can make that run about mileage. I am hoping to run a half marathon next month. Am I ready? Probably not entirely. I have run 13 miles before alone but never among hundreds of other people. I am sure my time will be different. I hope for the better. Check out the photos from Runkeeper showing what I’ve done this year so far.

I keep thinking I did another race but I know I haven’t. I may be thinking about the #anywhere5K runs I do each month. I’ve spoken about this site before. It is a fantastic concept for people who want to run. Check it out here and if you read this before this weekend, be sure to sign up for the September 5K run. Click the link here for the site. I run it each month. I may be running alone but I’m also racing against people from all across the globe. Pretty sweet, huh?

I try to run as often as I can. I ran in the snow and in the rain. I ran in the morning and at night. It’s been hot and it’s been cold. I try to run when time allows. Depending on work and the hours I have,  I may not get in as many runs as I would like to. On a good week I can run 4 times. When I run, I usually go for 6 miles. It’s 3 miles there and back. Like I said, it is the same path I go each time. I started at just a mile and I worked my way up.

After 114 runs, totally over 77 hours, I reached 500 miles! 503.4 to be exact. Now that I have reached this mark, I will be aiming for 1,000 miles. I don’t know how long that will take. It took me about 9 months to hit 500 miles so it could take another 9 months to hit that again. I hope I can reach it in half that time. That would be awesome! I like improving. I like knowing that I am sticking to running. I am sticking to staying away from smoking. I am 8 months smoke free and using my lungs for a far, better purpose.

In closing, I am proud of my achievements. I am happy that I reached 500 miles and still show no signs of quitting. I can skip a day or two and not beat myself over about it. There is always tomorrow and there is also room for improvement. Aside from wanting to reach 1,000 miles, I also want to run a 5k in under 20 minutes. That’s a goal to. I should stop blogging and get to running. Thanks for reading and before you go, watch the below video. I recorded myself running today. I would have recorded more but the battery was low. I wanted to capture the day I hit 500 miles. Greatest video ever? No. But it still captured the moment I hit 500 miles. That is all that matters.

 

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pitweston

I like food. I like the smell of cinnamon.

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