Making sacrifices to achieve a goal

Yes, I enjoy running more than anything.
Yes, I've seen some great improvements in my race times as a result.
NO, this has not been easy.

With just over 1 month before my biggest race (Mississauga Marathon) I can almost see the finish line. This has been a grueling 4 months of training since my last Marathon in December. Even though I would not trade any of the training I've done since then, it hasn't been easy at times. I think that's why I'm looking forward to this race more than any other race that I can remember. I know that once this race is finished I'll be able to look back on these last four months with pride.

I took up running in the fall of 2005 I can honestly say that I've never trained this hard at anything in my life. Part of what makes running so difficult is that there are so many factors that will come into play on race day that I have no control over such as my health and the weather.

As I completed my 16K time trial today I thought long and hard about what some of the sacrifices I've made. I don't go out too often because I want to get enough rest for the next days' run, I'm trying to lose a few more pounds between now and my race in May but the training I'm doing has caused my appetite to swell (luckily my wasteline hasn't followed suit). I feel that I have set up my days to put my training at or near the top of my priority list each day. I'm not unique to this as many of my friends do this as well but until now I've never experienced this type of dedication myself.

Tomorrow I will be running 30K with most of my friends and that will be a great way to celebrate Easter.