First Two-Hour Run – Suzi

"Always concentrate on how far you've come, rather than how far you have to go.'' This week I finally completed a two-hour run; something that has been somewhat haunting me up until this point. My confidence was shaken over the weekend when I cut my long run Saturday basically in half. What was supposed to be 105 minutes, was a measly 55 minutes. My legs were heavy and my mind was elsewhere. This made for a short run, and a nervous Suzi. I was nervous not so much for the two-hour run, I knew with proper food and hydration I'd be ok. I was nervous for the 4:30 am wake up and the eight hours of work following the run. In the past, whenever I have run for that amount of time or longer, I have been able to go home and do little to nothing for the day, or at least for a few hours until I felt motivated. This time around I've chosen to do my runs in the morning before work. This has made for great runs and a great mood early in the day. It also has left me anxious about waking up on time, and wondering how I'll ever handle a full day of patient care afterward. This is what I've been anxiously awaiting since I began training.

Now that my first two-hour run is in the books, a busy day of echoes followed, and I survived. I also managed to go food shopping, cook dinner and lunch for tomorrow. This reinstalled my confidence in myself and my training plan. I'm proud that not only did I complete my two-hour run feeling good, but I also had a normal and productive work day after. I have to stop and look back at the days when after completing a half marathon I'd barely be able to walk the rest of the day, if I got off the couch at all. There were also days that I never believed in a million years I could run a marathon. I have come a long way since those days. I am proud of the how far I've come in these last nine weeks. I run the hills each time I go for a run, and each time while still hard, they seem a little more manageable. I'm happy about where my training has gotten me this far, and I'm excited about how far it will take me in the next few weeks.