Proud.

What have you done today to make you feel proud?  Yes, I know cliche from Biggest Loser but I am 'erked' that it is no longer the theme song.  Who doesn't like being able to look back on their day and be proud of what they accomplished?  I saw a quote recently that I really liked.  "To go to bed with satisfaction, you have to wake up with determination."  So true.

Today was the day of the ever famous Cherry Blossom 10-miler in Washington, D.C.  Unbeknownset to many, this was my first 10-mile race.  So yes, of course I PR'd!  I also had multiple friends from school run, with a few of them PRing and my brother amazed us all turning in a time of 1:14:42.  I was also very proud of my PR of 1:24:13 - yes, this time was good enough to move me up a start wave for next year!  Thank goodness, with so many people this race is notorious for having a slow start.  The less people in front of me, the less-slow the start? I kept a solid pace the entire race.  I shouldn't knock the slow start, I think it help reign me in and keep my pace at 8:26/mile.  And I couldn't be happier for my wonderful friends who also completed the Cherry Blossom 10-miler - Jack, Sarah, Cristin, Ashley, Anique, Kim, and Mindy.

As I lined up to start the race I overheard the two women in front of me talking about how crazy their husband's are because they wake up every morning at 6 to run.  Of course following this came "Oh, he's just Crazy."  I though to myself, well the you'd think I'm crazy too - or better yet just read my Incredible Machine Post.  It's a satisfaction, something to be proud of when people say you're crazy for following your dreams.

The night before the race I found some motivation in watching the Spirit of The Marathon (free on Hulu) and A Shot at Glory: Triathlon Laura Bennet (also free on Hulu).  Both were pretty awesome and tell some great stories - and, yes, I am sure these athletes are also used to being called crazy.  I know a couple people who have recently decided to run marathons without training for them, at all.  Now, that I might call crazy.  Completing the marathon is something to be proud of, but not being able to walk at all for more than a week after?  Respecting your body and making healthy decisions - I'm not quite sure this fits the bill.  It may be mental for them and better if they have less time to think about the task at hand.  I'm not sure what the motivation is to do such a thing, but it's not something I would recommend.  Respect the Distance.

What have you done today, to make you feel proud?


Oh and P.S. - Tri Season is here!  Next Race = Kinetic Sprint Tri 5/15/11!

Have you ever run a race without training for it, if so how did it go?