Plaza 10K Prep Journal II
Guess what? I might actually be able to complete the full 10K by September!! :-) Plaza 10K Run/Walk here I come!!
Training is going well. I have continued to use the C210K app and I am enjoying it. I like structure and this app provides me with the guidance I need to train safely. I am doing 3 short runs and one long run a week. I was able to hit 6 miles (run/walk) on my last long run. Woot!! With 84 days to go as long as I train smart I am looking forward to having fun on race day.
What has been interesting is the other aspects of the run that have changed over the past few weeks.
Throughout April and May I was walking/jogging in my parking garage. It had become a safe zone. I could walk up and down the levels and focus on the podcast of the day. I was safely locked inside and the world was outside. Then, I decided to venture outside; I had to learn to run outdoors as part of my prep.
That first day I climbed the steps to the fifth floor and began a slow jog down the garage as a warmup. Headband in place, hoodie on, cell phone in hand. As I rounded the final ramp to the first level my heart began to beat faster and my breathing rate quickened. Why was I so anxious?
The fact is that I was afraid.
Most mornings my workouts commence at 430 am. I love the early mornings when it feels like I am alone in the world, just the sound of my feet on the pavement and the podcast in my ear. But after the recent events I became all too aware that here I was, a black woman in a hoodie running through the neighborhood. I live in a wonderful neighborhood and in reality probably have little to no reason to be afraid, yet the trauma of recent events heightened my awareness to a razor sharp level. I still ran, in the middle of the street so that I could easily see anyone ahead of behind me. I ran always planning an "escape" just in case. Even typing these words is difficult but that is the reality of our world today.
I smile as the sun begins to peak over the treetops and I breathe deeply as my fear abates with the growing daylight. I love the early morning. I love the opportunity to reset and renew and I pray that this new day will be a better and brighter day than yesterday.
Namaste.
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