31 Days of Lessons Learned: Day Twenty Two
I Can Run a Mile!
To most of you, running a mile may not sound like a big deal. That’s okay. Just know I’m extremely proud of myself. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been struggling with my weight and I’ve recently lost 30 pounds and started a Weight Loss Class sponsored by the University of Michigan MHealthy Department. It’s more than Weight Watchers – it’s a structured three pronged attack that focuses on exercise, nutrition and psychology. I’ve been learning a lot in that class (and hope to share my wisdom with my family soon) and because of it, I’ve also gained some confidence.
On my way home from tonight’s class, I started thinking… “You’re running a mile tonight.”
Not quite sure why that thought popped in my head. The closest I’ve got to that lately are my lunchtime walks. I couldn’t dismiss the thought though. By the time I got home and had dinner, it was settled. I was going to run a mile tonight. I told my wife during dinner, then played with my daughter a bit before she went to bed.
It was time.
I grabbed my running shoes, which are stained from volunteering to be a color thrower during the Ypsilanti Color Run and went on my way.
I had my friend’s exercise mix from 8tracks playing in my ears and off I went.
I tried to keep a steady and manageable pace, but I definitely slowed down a bit towards the end. The important thing is I never stopped and I never transitioned to walking. Towards the end, I may have been able to go faster if I walked, but it’s the principle of the thing.
So, after 25 minutes, I did something I haven’t done in 15 years. I ran a mile. After my cool down, I came back inside and checked my route and found out I actually ran 1.2 miles instead of one mile. Boo Yah!
Hopefully, this can motivate you to try something that you’ve been hoping to accomplish in your life lately. It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.