Half Training - Home Stretch

Half training this time around has been so different for me. In the past, I had no issue with getting up early to pound out the miles and consistently had powerful runs, whereas this year felt like I was tackling the distance for the first time. I've doubted my body and my abilities more than ever in the past few months and began to question if I just couldn't push out the miles at the level I used to.

However, in the past few weeks I have seen a complete 180. My training in January reminded me of why I love to challenge myself and push my running to a new level. Two Saturdays ago, my dad and I faced cold weather, wind, and constant rain for our 12.5 miles. Normally, I wouldn't be able to see past the nasty conditions to appreciate the run, but proving to myself that I could conquer my long run under those circumstances went further than 12.5 miles on a sunny day ever could.

Heading into this past weekend with our final distance of 13.1 in sight, I was feeling determined. It was a cool morning and the sun was shining. Dream running conditions. So how did it go? I felt like I could have run forever. My legs were strong, my head was focused, and I felt a sense of accomplishment I haven't felt in months.

This. This is how running should be and is what I want to remember. The next time I find myself doubting my abilities, I want to remember these two weeks of runs, when conditions were the best and worse they could be and I felt like I was never going to finish, but I did and felt better than ever.  Regardless of what happens on February 21st for the Gasparilla Half, I know I can run the distance and I know I can kill it.