Half Marathon Training Update - Never stop Believing in yourself!

We are about to begin week 8 of 12 of our training schedule for our half coming up at the end of next month. I have to say I've had my share of not so great runs lately, not to mention the problematic feet to go along with it. It's become quite certain that my feet are very moody and some days they do well on the pavement and other days they just seem to scream the entire way through. The odd thing is, there is no predicting when they are going to decide to give me a fit. Some days they do great and you'd never know I had both of them operated on less than a year ago, and then there are days where they are swollen, tight, sore, and unable to run. We've tried to narrow it down but still it seems to be a bit of a guessing game. They do seem to do much better running in the morning but then again this last week we were scheduled a 5 miler Wednesday morning (yes, before work and if you know me, this is a sacrifice because I love my sleep) and we only made it 3 miles. I knew pretty early on in the run my feet weren't going to cooperate and  unfortunately running through this type of pain is not an option for me. It gets so unbearable that my feet actually feel like someone is hammering them to the pavement. (Yes, I know....OUCH!) When this happens it's only natural for me to get discouraged and start doubting the goal ahead. I feel like a yo-yo of sorts and can never seem to predict if my feet will or will not work on any given day. It's actually quite daunting in some respects. I start thinking about race day in the near future and wonder how I will push through it if come race day, it's one of those days where by mile 2 I know it's not going to be a good day for the feet and they begin to scream at me. (Heaven knows, I won't be stopping!) But then I'm taken to a peaceful place like I was yesterday morning when we set off for our scheduled 8 miler (worried about my feet as I'd had a long couple days prior)  and ran it with very minimal issues, 3 minutes faster than last years 8 mile training run (not that that should matter, but hey it felt good), and only a time or two did my feet scream at me - they were very short-lived moments and I pressed on until we were finished. It's moments like these that I believe God is reminding me of what I've become and what I am capable of accomplishing - even if it's a somewhat painful road to get there. After all, look at what He has been through for each one of us? Was it always easy? Was is always pain-free?

When we were done I couldn't but give my running partner a hug and tell her thank you. It was a great run for me and just what I was needing to keep me encouraged. It was one of those moments that taught me again - regardless of what you are struggling with and or going through, whether it be weight loss or health issues....never stop believing in yourself!