Mind over Body

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." (George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian)

I've been contemplating registering for a half marathon for some time now. I'm trying to make my mind talk my body into it. Truth be told, I really don't have a passion for running like some people do. I don't do it for fun. It's hard. But I run so I can eat and still fit into my clothes. Pretty simple. I love good food and I don't diet. Sure, I watch what I eat (mostly), but I've never been a dieter. And running tends to keep things even-keeled for me. Clears the mind, trims the flab, strengthens the heart. It makes me feel like I'm starting out my day with a bang. I often think as I'm running, man, if I'd only skipped the _____(fill in the blank with whatever I ate the night before), then I'd be that much further ahead today. But then the next day comes and I think the same thoughts again. So I just keep running. I'm pretty sure I'll never run a marathon. That still seems insane to me.

Recently, I've read some training guides online and have found that 10 weeks is about the typical training time for a half marathon, assuming that you've been running for at least 4 weeks and can run for 30 minutes without stopping. I can do that. Most days. Unless I've stayed up way too late and consumed a bean burrito enchilada style and two bowls of chips and salsa the night before. (Trust me. The jog the following day is not pretty.) Thankfully, that doesn't happen that often.

I've been thinking about doing the Turkey Trot 10k again on Thanksgiving, then the PF Chang's half marathon on 1/17/10. And I got a flyer in the mail about the Rangar Relay next February. My friends Noel, Jane, and Melissa all ran that race this year (and Melissa did another one in LA), and all had great things to say. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. I could be, though. Mind over Body.

I also just saw my cousin Dyan's invite on her blog to run the 11/14/09 half marathon called "Race from the Sun." So I'm not sure which race(s) I'll choose yet. But I know the first steps toward reaching a goal are writing it down and telling someone about it (for some accountability and reinforcement).

So I'm making it official. I'm gonna enter another race. It will be good motivation for me to keep running and make it 4-5 days a week consistently. And who knows - maybe the skinny jeans will fit a little better at Christmas time too. That would be an added perk.