Satisfaction

This weekend I ran my second half marathon.

Sounds pretty hard core,

right?

I'm going to let you in on a little secret though..

I hate running.

That's right.

You heard me correctly.

"Well, why would a girl who hates running sign up for a half marathon??"

Well..

because my name is Natasha,

and I'm a masochist.

Just kidding.

But seriously..

Every time I put on my running shoes I dread the next half hour, hour, two hours..

But let me tell you what I don't dread -

the nice shape that has developed around my legs and backside,

the surplus of energy I have every day,

and last but certainly not least,

the confidence I've gained since crossing that finish line. 

Running is all mental. 

I'm sure you've heard this numerous times before, 

and probably thought to yourself...

"bologna!"

But it's true. 

I ran my first half in 2010,

right before our wedding, 

and it was the worst experience ever.

I didn't get the time I wanted, 

and instead suffered an injury on my knee (as well as my ego). 

So I stopped running all together. 

It took me more than a year to get back into running,

barely,

and when my pants started fitting a little more snug than I'd prefer,

I decided I needed some motivation.

So I signed up for another race.

I was intimidated to face my demons by myself,

so I made the hubs sign up with me.

I told him to stop me any time he saw me pushing beyond my means, 

because that's what I do.

I'm my own worst critic. 

I yell at myself to push harder if I feel like I'm not performing up to par,

and in the end,

that's what kills me. 

I'm glad I can acknowledge this trait about myself now. 

Because it took a while to get here. 

So anywaaaaay,

keeping this in mind,

I eased into training.

Four consecutive months,

and a clear head on my shoulders, 

is all it took. 

I finished this race in two hours and three minutes. 

My personal record.

I slashed over 20 minutes off my time from the last race,

and I couldn't feel better about it!

If you've ever considered running a race like this,

I seriously recommend it. 

No, I'm not going to tell you that it's easy,

but it really is like free therapy.

Trust me, if I can do it,

you can do it. 

So what are you waiting for?

Celebrating post race, with some friends and mimosas at 3rd Corner.