Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Failure is a ROUGH word.

I found this quote today and it hit me like a brick wall:

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying."
Michael Jordan (#23! HA! I just had to add that!)

The more I run and train for the Seattle Half the more I worry that I wont be able to meet my goal of sub 2 hours. IF I don't reach my goal will it be failure? I honestly don't think so, 13.1 miles is a long way after all. And how many people head out to run a half marathon the weekend after Thanksgiving? Actually a lot according to the number of people that were running last year, aaaaanyway... But in the scheme of things running a half marathon at all is an accomplishment. Why do I neeeed to meet my goal so bad?

I feel like I can't move on to marathon training until I have broken the 2 hour half mark. I know, crazy.

In the end, I am trying. I am working harder, training harder and training smarter than I have for any other race. Only once before have I given everything I had only to fail, truly fail in every sense of the word. And that time is still considered a failure. But this, this half marathon will not be considered a failure. After all there is always another half, another race...another chance. For now I will give it my all and continue to train on these hills and shoot for a sub 2 hour half marathon on the toughest course I have ever run.

I will leave you all with this: "Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."- Lou Holtz

May you all find the Motivation and Attitude to reach your greatest Ability!

Today I am grateful for:
A beautiful drive along the water.
The Biggest Loser.
Warm and cozy PJ's.
Chore Charts that work like a charm for my 4 year old.
Run Happy Peeps!


13 comments:

  1. I think there is no way to fail at running a half marathon! But I don understand not being able to get out of your head.Once you set a goal you have to reach it otherwise there was no point. I wish we all didn't think like that! But I say you will dominate!

    Also what did you think of the biggest loser tonight? I was so so mad with tracey. (i think that is her name)

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  2. The only way you can truly fail at any distance is if you set a goal that is obviously out of reach - and even then it is not a failure of your runnning ability.

    Also, on race day you never know what the weather, the course, or even your body will throw at you.

    Thus, I would like to say that you are training hard to take advantage of the conditions on race day to run your best race possible!

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  3. Love the quotes. I know exactly how you are feeling! The journey is half the fun!

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  4. Loved the quotes! Don't get too wrapped up in time darling... you want to enjoy the experience not look back with regret over your time!!!

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  5. GREAT GREAT quotes... If there is ANYTHING I can do to help you reach your goal or feel more confident about it let me know.. Ummmm I think a FAST 12 in T-Town or O-Town with Tall Mom would give you some CONFIDENCE for the 1/2??? Come on your know you want to...

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  6. All I can say is: you're not the only one. For the longest time I was so concerned about my time. Even for my first half marathon. I would stress and stress about it. Comparing myself to others. I still struggle from time to time, but I try to remember that no one else is like me. No one else has the same build, genetics, knees, legs, feet, stride as me. I can run the fastest I can, run the longest I can, bottom line, do the best I can.

    Falling short of a timed goal does not mean you failed.

    Keep your chin up, you'll be great!

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  7. My birthday was yesterday - turned 57! I've been running since I was 18 - before there were even women's running shoes. Fifteen years ago I ran my last marathon. Over the preceding 10 years, I'd run 8 of them, continually improving until this last one. Even though I'd trained the same, felt as good as you can during a 26-miler, my finish time had inched up closer to the 4-hour mark. At that point, I made the decision to only tackle half-marathons. Like you, with this new distance in mind, I wanted to break the two-hour mark. But, as time has gone by, not surprisingly, my goal continues to slide up. Now I'm excited to break the 2 hour and 10 minute mark! For the last 4 years I've been writing a book about those early years of my running and about a terrible tragedy that occurred to my best friend and training partner. "Run at Destruction" was just published last month. (Available on Amazon, B&N, etc.) More information is at www.lyndadrews.com
    If I sent you a copy, I wondered if you might be interested in reading it, and if appropriate, blogging about it. I did get the endorsement from the Boston Marathon Race Director, a Track & Fied Correspondent, etc.
    Thanks!
    Lynda Drews

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  8. I enjoyed the MJ quote. I recently ordered a RoadID bracelet and for the last line I put "There is no try", which is part of Yoda's line in The Empire Strikes Back: "Do, or do not. There is no try." Unfortunately, the whole quote didn't fit but I know what it means.

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  9. No way that it's going to be a failure if you don't reach your goal time: you did it! And there are more people who can't do that than those who can! No matter what time you're going to finish I still be proud of you.

    I understand your reason that you won't start training for the marathon if your time isn't the one you want.

    My next step will be training for 15K but I only start this when I can run a 10K in 1.05 or 1.10 so lots of practice to do.

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  10. Amanda,

    We know running is as much mental (and spiritual?) as it is physical - maybe more? You will find 'your right place' on the journey... and you will be glad you took the time to reflect on the 'why?' I'm finding the 'why's' are sometimes more important than the 'what's.' Rock it, girl - whatever IT may be!

    hugs from orlando,
    r.

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  11. Yes, I am SO ready for it to be cool enough for cozy comfy jammies! Good luck with your half goal. You can do it! Just keep in mind, every race is it's own race. Finishing strong is the real prize.

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  12. I love that Michael Jordan quote....I think I need to harness that for my next week of training.

    Personally I think the goal setting is what we need to get us motivated - to help us stay focused. But I think success comes in many different ways on the journey to try and meet that goal.

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  13. I am running my first half next weekend and I have the same goal. I'm so nervous because I haven't achieved this speed in any of my long runs but I'm still hopeful that it's possible. At the end, I hope to just be proud of having completed it - regardless of the time. It's a huge accomplishment. We need to give credit to ourselves!!!

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You're pretty much awesome!!

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