Run Without Limits

I love the "Compete Every Day" brand. I've always been a "quote" person or "word collector" so their apparel with the inspiring phrases speaks to me. I recently purchased a shirt that simply says "Run Without Limits" across the front. It has quickly become one of my go-to shirts to throw on when going for a run, not only because I love the texture of the shirt but because that simple phrase is a mantra that has been shaping some of my more recent dreams and goals.

This past Monday I had a friend that had been preparing for months to run the Boston Marathon so I was more tuned in than normal because of my interest in tracking her progress, as well as some other runners I have never met but follow and get inspiration from on Instagram. All day I was glued to the app on my phone and race updates online and on Twitter, just completely amazed by the unbelievable grit I was witnessing as runners battled some of the most horrendous weather conditions I could imagine. Literally, that weather was the weather of my very worst running nightmares. I hate running in the cold. I hate running in the wind. And I hate running wet. So to have all three conditions combine into a brutal recipe for hypothermia....for 26.2 miles? I honestly don't think I would have had the mental fortitude to push through to the starting line, much less any portion of the race. Not only were runners pushing through to the finish line...but some even PR'd their first marathon or the Boston course. I cannot imagine the misery of being completely soaked in cold rain and being cut to the bone with 20-30mph winds mile after long mile. Yet somewhere, somehow, these athletes dug down deep inside and pushed pain the pain and utter misery to FINISH. That kind of mental toughness inspired me on a completely different level. All week I haven't been able to stop reading race recaps from different runners and soaking in the stories behind their Boston journeys and storing away all the amazing, inspiring bits of wisdom and quotes that they've had to share. Even the story behind Des Linden's first ever Boston win, after 5 previous attempts, was super inspiring. As much as I love celebrating the wins and victories of the elites like Des, I have more so enjoyed the stories of regular runners who haven't always been professional runners or athletes. I follow the blogs and IG's of several runners who started out kind of like me....women who weren't necessarily athletes when they were younger and didn't start out as super fast runners. Yet with proper coaching, training, and consistency, these ladies have been able to grow from pretty average runners to posting some pretty impressive race times, even qualifying for Boston in some cases.

Now I have no illusions of being able to improve to the point of qualifying for Boston....but after my last race, the Dallas Rock n' Roll, my mind has started to wonder just how much more room I have to grow as a runner. One thing I have read over and over from my favorite runners is that it all comes down to believing you can and to keep showing up until you do when it comes to running goals. I even tell my clients at Orangetheory almost on a daily basis that your body will step up to the plate and rise to the occasion every time....to whatever you challenge it to in your mind. What your mind believes, the body achieves. I say this and I do believe this because my own body has shown me it is capable of far more than I originally gave it credit for. However..there is a little voice that keeps telling me to be realistic and don't get TOO crazy now. Remember, you aren't an athlete and you aren't THAT fast compared to all the other runners out there and you ARE about to be 39 years old...you're no spring chicken, Rachel! That little voice wants to keep me average and comfortable. BUT there is another voice that is saying....run without limits!!! What if, Rachel?? What if you could train properly and shave another 15 minutes off your half-marathon time? What if you tried....I mean really, really, really tried to get faster? What would be possible for you? Let's take off the limitations and find out!!

Watching Boston on Monday gave me a renewed desire to chase my own dreams and goals, to fight through my own mental doubts and see just what all my body is capable of when I take away the limitations in my mind. In my last post, I talked about what a confidence booster the Rock 'n Roll Dallas Half was for me last month. To set a challenging goal in my mind and be able to reach it was an amazing feeling. I haven't ever really trained properly as a runner. I just go out and run and log miles when I can as consistently as I can. I haven't ever really trained for a race properly. I also do a million other things...boot camps, Camp Gladiator, lift weights, Orangetheory, etc. I've never given running my full focus or effort. Yet I have still been able to make progress and get much faster and be able to run much farther over the past 2 years. So...what would happen if I REALLY trained the right way? What if I gave running my focus and energy? That's the question that's been playing in my mind and brings me to what I'm about to say next. (Yikes. I can't believe I'm about to say this out loud. It's scary to actually say goals out loud. Because that means you have to be bold enough to actually believe you could make them happen).

Okay. So here it is. My next two big goals. First is to run a sub 4 hour marathon in Chicago in October. I think most people already know about that goal. That one seems more do-able to me and I think if I actually follow a training program that one is feasible and not too crazy. But here is my crazy goal. After Chicago, I want to work on actually time-qualifying for the New York City Marathon in 2020. For my age bracket, I need to run a 1:34 half marathon to qualify. A 1:34 seems SOOOO fast and impossible to me right now...but then I have to remember that 15 months ago a 1:49 half marathon sounded really fast and out of reach for me too. My first half-marathon in December 2016 was 2:17 and without real training, real coaching, real preparation I was still able to take 28 minutes off that time. Shaving another 15 minutes off should be possible....right?? Well, it might be crazy., But I'm going to go for it! After Chicago, I plan to find a private running coach that will hold me accountable. (All my "runspirations" that I follow say that getting a coach was the game-changer for them). I will focus on doing what I need to do to get faster by spring 2019. I may be doing a lot of traveling to New York next spring but I want to give myself more than one opportunity to reach my goal. I plan to register for the United NYC Half in March, the SHAPE Women's Half in April and the Brooklyn Half in May (all NYRR qualifying races). By qualifying in a NYRR race, I would have guaranteed entry into the NYC Marathon in 2020. After Chicago, I only want to do one more marathon and I want it to be New York. Yeah, I could try to get in by lottery (and I will still try to do that for 2019 race!) and yeah, I could fundraise. But how awesome would it be to be able to actually say I time-qualified for the race??? Now that's a dream worth chasing in my book!

So there it is. My crazy, run without limits plan in black and white! It's going to take commitment. Sacrifice. Discipline. It's going to take me making time to take care of my body and properly work on recovery and mobility. It's going to take me giving up a few other things I enjoy for awhile. But more than anything else...it is going to take me just simply believing that I can do it. Me simply believing that it is possible. Without that belief, it most definitely won't be possible no matter how hard I work. The biggest demons we fight are in our own minds. The doubts and lack of self-confidence can cripple us and keep us mediocre forever. Without setting crazy, almost impossible goals, we would never grow. We would never fight. And we would never win. So yeah, it's scary saying this out loud because...what if I fail? What if I don't even come close? Will I look silly for even thinking I could run a 7:10 mile for 13.1 miles? My fastest 5K pace has only been 7:21! But see, that's where I have to shut those thoughts and voices out and say....you can do this, Rachel! You've got two strong legs, two strong lungs, and you can train them to do whatever you want them to! Run without limits!!

I hope you will join me on this journey! I will need your encouragement, your support, your motivation every step of the way! Chicago 2018 and NYC 2020....or bust!!

"Whether you believe you can or you can't....you're right."