I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal.

I ran just over 25 kilometres this morning, it’s been a couple of hours but I’m still feeling really pumped. I wanted to make it out to Parkrun because they were having some special guests, and it seemed like time to attack my personal best.

I didn’t really take it easy on the 10km out to Ginninderra, even though I probably should have. It wasn’t freezing outside, for a chance, and it just felt like a nice, easy run. I didn’t notice that I was running too fast until about the 5km mark, and I decided that I didn’t care.

Parkrun was great, although I went out at too fast a pace. I settled into a 5:15 pace after about half a km, and sat there until almost the end. It hurt like a bitch, and for a lot of it I wanted nothing more than to stop. But I didn’t. Glad I didn’t. Came in at 26:28, 35 seconds faster than my previous personal best. That may not seem like a great improvement, but when I’m running hard, so close to my threshold... 35 seconds is freaking awesome.

Shame that I got the worst finish photo EVER.



Hemmed in by the two previous finishers, who stopped as soon as they hit the line and didn’t pay any mind to the photographer who was snapping away just in front of them, or the finisher coming in behind them. Sadface. Still, this is probably karma because at the first Parkrun I did exactly the same thing to someone else.



Hee.

I sucked down a gel about ten minutes before Parkrun, don’t know if it helped but it sure didn’t hurt. I made it all the way home, didn’t puke or bonk, so I count it as a win. Did the last 10km in 1 hour and 9 minutes, or thereabouts. So there wasn’t a significant drop in speed. Heart rate was significantly higher, so I must have been putting in more effort.

Life is frigging brilliant, people. You know what? I don’t want to sound like an ego monster, but I’m a motherflipping superhero, bitches. Screw your excuses, forget your self esteem issues. Get off your ass, and let’s all be superheroes together. Awesomeness isn’t something that’ll come if you sit there and wait for it. The universe isn’t going to just hand you a cape and a pair of stretchy pants. You have to get out there and grab them.

All those people in the past who have put me down or tried to make me feel bad about myself, I don’t give a shit. Their opinion is irrelevant. Do I think I’m better than them? No. Well, probably. But I’m not competing against these people. Throughout our lives, our toughest rivals are alway going to be ourselves. Out of the corner of your eye, if you glance backwards, there you are. Nipping at your own heels. If you fall behind, if you let them win, you’re going to stop saying “Man, I’m getting more and more awesome all the time.” and you’re going to start saying “Hey, remember how awesome I USED to be?”.

I’m not saying you always have to go hardcore, train too hard, mess yourself up. That’s counterproductive. I’m not just talking about running, or any other form of exercise. General awesomeness is a skill you have to work at, but you should keep working. Don’t let your past self trip you up, go out an annihilate that sucker. You can do it. You should do it. Fuck your doubts. Do it. Do it now.

Ima get off my soapbox now, go and make something to eat.