Is it really bad or can you find the good?

This morning I competed in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5k run.  I have been looking forward to this race for a while because it is a wonderful cause and my good friend lost her mother to breast cancer and was running with me.  I haven't been able to train as much as I had hoped but I was feeling good about where I was and had set a goal of finishing in under 26 minutes. I felt this was an easy goal since I finished my last 5k in 26:18.

The start of the race went well and I headed off at a slightly fast pace to get a little separation from the big group of people and then settled into a more sustainable pace.  I use Map my Fitness to help me stay aware of where I was on the course and just how much I'm pushing myself and every time it updated me, it was telling me I was on track to finish in the time I wanted and that I was looking to set my fastest average per mile pace!  This continued all the way to the 2.75 mile mark where I stepped it up a bit so ensure a good finish. My app counted me down......3 miles in 24ish minutes.......3.25 miles in 26 ish minutes.....3.4 miles in .....wait what?!?!  Since when does a 5k have 3.4 miles??

So, long story short, I finished the race in 27:10. Nowhere near what I had hoped for and I could be upset at myself for this and frustrated that the race seemed longer than it should or I could try to find some good in it. I cant change the course length. I cant change the time I finished in but I can be proud that I set my fastest per mile time and that I pushed myself the entire race to go faster and harder even when I didnt think I could.

As everyday people who are running, cycling or really doing any activity, we need to focus on why we are doing it and who we are doing it for. I am doing it for me and only for me. Every time I head out, whether its a training session or a race, I am only competing against myself and as long as I do my best I should feel proud.

We should all strive to do this. Don't worry about what place you are in the race or what your friends are doing. Just focus on you and try to find something good about what you are doing.  This will help keep it fun and keep you doing it for a long time to come.

So get out there and do something good for yourself! Set some goals you never thought you could reach or simply take a stroll around the block but GET OUT THERE and find the good in what you are doing. No matter how good or bad you do, you are always doing better than those who are sitting on the couch!!!