Why I REALLY Started This Blog

People who know me well find that I'm emotional. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve at times and I don't fall short of expressing my feelings, thoughts, or convictions. It's the reason why in the middle of an eight mile run this morning (my first long run in five months), I realized I had a few things to say. So here--while I still have the clarity--is why I really felt the need to document my training, and why I asked Meaghan to do it with me.

1. I'm clawing my way back. At the beginning of the year, I had registered for half marathons in January, February, and March. The goal was to clock an 8 min mile by the March half, and work toward running a 7:30 pace in a marathon in 2013. Unfortunately, instead of getting my glory on, January and February were the loneliest months I've had in a while. I ran the half in January and got a PR (personal record). It was the hardest race I've done when I've run events longer than 13 miles. I pushed. But I also under-trained and paid for it with an inflamed tendon that ensured I would not be running my other two events. I was crushed more than I  let on to anyone. My family didn't know. My boyfriend didn't know and probably wouldn't have empathized much. The person I was most upset with was myself. I had lost three good months because I didn't condition better. Worst of all, I knew I had to start all over again.

And here I am, starting all over.

It's one thing to train for goals you've never reached, but it's nearly excruciating when you're training for events you have done before--and better. Right now, it's hard not to get frustrated with my training because I know I can run a 3 miler in 25 minutes. Doing an 8 miler in 1 hour and 32 mins feels like I'm a tortoise who's chasing her shell. This is HARD. But the old saying "anything that's hard is worth working for" is par the course. I ain't scared.

2. Meaghan. Meag started asking me about running a little over a year ago. I don't recall how far she was running at the time, but at the encouragement of running a half marathon, I got the same answer most people give me: "I can barely run 3 miles, let alone 13!" Yeah, whatevs Meaghan. She's now training for a tri.
The reason why endurance athletes love what they do is because they go through a few phases:

Phase A--"I'm not sure if I can do this."
Phase B--"I think I can do this."
Phase C--"I did this. ...Holy cow, I did this!"
Phase D--"I did this! Now what else can I do?!"

Meaghan has come a long, long way from where she was with not more than hard work and dedication. She's currently in Phase D, and I'm having a blast watching her discover what I have about myself and knew of her. She's my silent competition. She's my motivator. She can do this. We all can if we really want it.

3. The word "train" means more than preparing for an event. A few years back, I knew I wanted to be a personal trainer. That became an even bigger aspiration once I got involved with the non-profit Marathon Kids. I'm studying for my certification now. I hope to work with pre-teens and teenagers someday, especially girls. With that type of goal, you've got to get used to being in the spotlight. Which brings me to ...

4. I'm a bit of an exhibitionist. My dad told me that a few years ago, partly because I've spent time on stage as an actor since I was about 4. I don't mind sharing this part of my life with the world.

5. The Lord gave me legs. Lol. In all seriousness, I've always felt that God gives you certain talents. There are a lot of things that I'm good at I've found, but none have touched me more than running. Until the Lord says "Ok Ash, you need to focus on something else," I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

6. My heart is in this. My mom was poking fun at me a few days ago while I was cooking a fantastic meal. In between savoring her food she said, "When you put your heart into something, it comes out so well!" My mom knows me, and she's right. I live for what I'm passionate about. I put my heart into what matters to me, be it personal, professional, spiritual, or recreational. This matters. And if you wanna know me, well, you've got to know where my heart is.

My contribution to this blog will be a little light for a bit, because I'm not doing anything that I haven't done before in the running department. As for my obstacle race training, you can count on me posting the crazy things that I have to do for that. Seriously, if you've never done one of those things, try it. If you have an want a big challenge, train for what I'm doing in December.

Thanks for supporting what we do, readers. 'Til next tine!

--Ash

My anthem (thanks Jenny B!):