It is done! Almost three months after I ran my first 5K, I’m now proud to say that the previous week was my last for Gateway to 8K, and it was a success. I managed to put one foot in front of the other, with one of them always off the ground, at 149BPM, for 50 minutes straight. And I did that three times last week. My bragging rights I’m exercising before you.
But I’m not stopping here.
I’m not telling what I have in mind, either; they say that announcing your goals is the first step to not achieving them, because part of you has already derived satisfaction from the act of sharing and from the relevant -usually positive and supportive- reactions, thus making you less determined to actively work towards them.
On the other hand, of course, “publicly” announcing your goals can be used to hold yourself accountable if you give up. Saving face, even when it’s definitely only you and your ego who’s interested in whether you make it or not, may be a good incentive for sticking to it when the going gets tough, uncomfortable or requires certain sacrifices.
In any case, I generally prefer the former type of incentive, if only for the free drama build-up that comes along with it! >:}
For now, my thanks go to Zapaden Park, Sveta Troitsa Park, The Cracked Podcast and Podrunner for helping, in their own way, make running for 50 minutes not as tiring or frightening as it sounded at first but something to look forward to.