I Finished My 100 for February

Today I finished my 100 Miles for February, running for Wounded Warriors Project.  This has been such an amazing journey for me.  I have run in a 5K and 10K, both I thought were amazing experiences, which they were, but I am shocked at the work I accomplished this month.  One thing I  heard real runners say, is that its 40% body and 60% mind.  I noticed that when I cut the negative thoughts out and looked positively towards every run, I was more comfortable, and my body has all the energy it needed.  At sometimes, I actually felt like my legs were on auto pilot, and I was just along for the ride. 

Running outside was a very peaceful experience.  I would look around and it seemed like the landscape was always changing.  Driving on the same paths, I never notice the mountains, plants, trees, and smells.  One day this month I got a punch in the face smell of a dead skunk, could have done without that, but most of the time the smells of plants, rain, dew were just amazing.  Although, you never have control over the temperatures, lighting, and ANIMALS!  One morning I waited for the sun to come up just enough to get a 5 mile run in, at times my husband and I had to tag team watching the kids while the other ran.  I stepped outside ready to push start on the tracking and the coyotes started howling, a group was right by the house.  I jumped back inside so fast!  My husband asked if it was too cold, and I told him about the coyotes.  He laughed and asked if I was going and I got my courage up and headed out.  I would not have been able to finish this project without the support of my husband. 

While most of the days my husband and I ran separately, we wanted to finish today together.  We had just 8 miles to finish and we bundled up our youngest and headed out.  It was a neat experience running together.  You support and push each other to finish in certain times.  He is a 8 minute a mile runner while I average an 11.45 minute mile.  Today I was able to push it to 11:01 average miles.  I really wanted to finish in the 10 minute range but happy all the same.  I always have next time!

This month we tracked our miles through Dailymile.com.  You can invite friends that allow you to encourage and support one another on your fitness journey.  There were days when I didn't want to run, but seeing my friend just got 5 miles ahead of me got me lacing up the sneakers and heading out.  Support and drive make the difference in fitness challenges. 

As a reward my husband picked me up a new shirt and sweaty band at Fleet Feet.  I Love absolutely love and think it fits my personality perfectly. 

You can see other post through this journey in the Running Tab