Double Decker: Again

It would seem that I may have a stubborn streak in me.  Maybe it's my Scorpio tendencies, maybe it's all of my abilities, maybe it's just that kick I get out of winning.  But it's there nonetheless.  Sometimes it comes out when I least expect it to.  Like when Marco said "I'm not sure if we need a cat" and this came home with me a week later.

Or that time I totally won at digging up cannas by myself and threw my back out for a week...

Or that other time when I didn't want to go to the doctor because they would give me cough medicine and ended up having to have a shot instead...

Anyway, I digress.

I'm stubborn and do not often learn my lessons.  Which is why, for the second year in a row I've agreed to run the Double Decker 10 K with Marco.  Let me make one thing clear real quick like- 13 miles in flat New Orleans is one thing, but 6.3 miles in Oxford up and down hills that I'm often quite certain my car won't be able to climb is another.  I only did it last year because I knew in my head it was hard, but I had no idea how much I hated Old Taylor Road until that 5th mile started. In fact, I cursed like a sailor the entire time.  Not proud of it, but there it is.

And now we're going to do it again.  EXCEPT this time, I want to beat last year's time.  You see, last year, I just wanted to finish- especially after that mile 5 hill- and I had a time in my head that I would be happy with.  Well it turns out, I did way better than I was expecting.  (Winning!) So this year?  I want to be even better- which means pushing myself harder and actually working.  No thank you.

But I'm going to do it anyway.  Turns out, after a few weeks of just going running by myself, really paying attention to my breathing and letting my feet pace themselves (not matching Marco's stride or trying to beat a certain time per mile) I have learned a few things about myself.  I found my pace.  I found my rhythm.  I found that I don't hate it as much as I did a few months ago before it got too cold to go every couple of days.

I am not nearly where I need/want to be for the Double Decker, but I've got a few weeks.  I have a set goal for every week leading up to then and when I start to think that I hate this more than anything, I stop.  I have other big plans for Double Decker weekend, so I will be working on those goals too, but this running thing, I think ultimately, I'm going to win that (in my own way, not like first in the race way gah!) too.