The Journey of No Limits and a Race Recap

Participating in the AMR No Limits Chalłenge was one of the cooler things I've done recently. For 15 weeks I learned to run in the snow, braved -15 windchills, and figured out how to entertain myself on the treadmill for 5 miles. I learned what intervals and tempo runs are. I discovered that my stomach prefers GU Chomps over gels, and that Nuun Kona Cola is by far my favorite sports drink. When the day came for the long 8 miler, I went out and thanks to technology being dumb, I ran 9 miles instead. It was definitely a growing experience.

Yesterday I was able to finish the challenge when I ran the Hope Starts Here 10k race.  I was also using those miles for the She Rocks virtual run, my Mothers Day present to myself. It was....... crazy, awesome, amazing!  My race didn't start until 10:00, but typical of race day, I was wide awake by 6:00.  So I headed out, figuring I'd watch the half marathon and duathlon starts. The temp was 40 degrees, with a north wind off of Lake Superior that made it feel like 30. I spent the two hours before the run catching up with friends, and trying in vain to stay warm!  

Finally it was 10:00, and time to run. All the training was already paying off, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. We started, and I followed Coach Christine's advice to start in the back of the pack and forced myself to go slow. I've learned the hard way about starting out too fast, and I knew it was for the best, but oh, did I hate that! Everyone just blowing right by you. Arg! But I held steady.  I don't really remember a ton about the run itself.... Things like breathlessly trying to cheer on some Fellow Flowers, how incredibly boring the stretch of trail between Founder's Landing and South Beach is, the stitching on the wrist of my shirt had raveled and the string kept wrapping around my fingers and driving me nuts, and how awful the wind and drizzle felt in your face the whole way back! I think that was every bit as miserable as running in negative windchills! The finish got closer, and I began to pass more and more of the runners who left me in the dust at the beginning. The training paid off again, and still had enough for a good finishing kick, and crossed the finish line strong.

I refused to give myself a time goal for this race. I just wanted to finish. But to be honest, I was really hoping I could get close to an hour. But when I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check Strava, and saw my time, I was pretty sure it was a mistake. Strava had been acting goofy lately. I walked out of the chute, dazed, out of breath, shaking like a leaf. Friends were coming up and asking how I did, and I must've looked confused, because they all said "oh you just got in!" I finally found the line to get my time slip, and when I got it, I was blown away. 56:31! Strava wasn't lying after all! I had totally crushed the time goal that, I confess, I was too scared to make! Dang!

So I guess I could say this challenge was perfectly named, No Limits. Every time I figured I had reached what I thought was my limit, I managed to push right past it and move way beyond what I ever thought I was capable of.  Half the time, I didn't realize it, I just did it, and the next thing I knew, the five mile runs that I was dreading became my favorite ones to run. This is so awesome, that moment when you look out and can see those dreams and goals are just a bit easier to reach than they were just a short time ago. And now it's time to reach out for the next one.... Let the Half Marathon training begin!