I was 14 years old, and I felt like I was about to collapse. I had just run a mile in less than 7 minutes, and I was thrilled. I wasn’t ready to stop there, however.
Later that year, I ended up injuring my knee and I was never the same runner after that. I gave up on the sport pretty much thereafter, even though I was fully recovered within a year or so.
It wasn’t until more recently that I started running again, challenging myself to beat my previous best times. While the 7 minute mile was a definite achievement for me, I was determined to set a new personal best by hitting a 6 minute mile instead.
After weeks of trying for 6 minutes flat out, I was unable to do it. I was fine with seven minutes, and even with six and a half, but I would always get stopped short on the third or fourth lap in my run, simply out of energy.
I was determined to figure out a way to make it happen and I’m happy to say that I did. This is all because of something I did that it wouldn’t have been possible without.
The biggest thing that made it happen was the fact that I started doing short runs at faster speeds. I would run a mile at a five minute pace, naturally stopping after two laps. This put me in a really good position to try for a 6 minute mile, which seemed easy in comparison.
You’ll need to be prepared to sweat, and be prepared to pant. The half mile was probably harder than the full mile at six was for me. Still, I accomplished my goal and it felt absolutely great.
From here, I have my goals set higher. I think I can run one in less than five.
This writer also writes about custom personalized labels for a bottle of wine and ideas for a great wine label template.
