Whether you are an avid runner, training for a road race or just looking for the health benefits of working out, every runner can relate to the various stages that are associated with the before, the during and the after a run.
1. You give yourself a motivational speech before you start your run.
You’ve decided to lace up your shoes and pound some
pavement. As you walk out the door, you stop at the mirror and give yourself
the final push to get out the door.
2. You start your run and think, "this isn't so bad."
Your jams are flowing through your ears, it’s a
beautiful day out, what could be bad? Full of energy and eager for your run,
you start out at a pace that is way too fast to sustain.
3. ... Then you hit mile one.
The initial high of starting the run has worn off by
now but the runner’s high hasn’t quite set in. You start to hear how badly you
are panting and the sweat rolls off every surface of your body.
4. All that pre-workout hydration comes back to haunt you.
Well into your run you realize you have to pee but
what can you do now? A million thoughts race through your head: “Can I hold it
in?” “What if I just peed in my pants, no one would notice.”
5. You decide to hold it and push forward.
Onwards and upwards, no time to stop now, you push past your instincts and continue to tear up the trail.
6. When you turn onto a busy street and pick up your pace.
You never know who might drive by and you can’t let
your high school crush see you cruising the streets at a glacial pace. Even if
its only for two minutes, the whole town will see that you are the next Usain
Bolt.
7. You pass a fellow runner whose hair and makeup are perfect.
As you stumble uncoordinatedly toward your
destination, drenched in sweat and gasping for air you pass that marathon
runner mom who is dressed head to toe in lululemon without so much as a hair
out of place. How does she do it?
8. You get lost in your endorphin rush.
Nothing is more rewarding than hitting that runner’s
high. You are nearly done with your run for the day and feel as though you are
drifting along the clouds toward the finish. People may wave to you but you’re
in your own little world of rainbows and butterflies.
9. You race toward your end point, nothing can stop you now!
You never thought this moment would come, and now it's
here. With a big smile on your face you pump your little legs as hard as you
can and think about all that you overcame to get to this glorious moment.
You remind yourself that you are a boss and nothing can stop you! You do a little dance to celebrate your workout and then lay on your couch for the next half hour trying to muster up the strength to get in the shower.
