Some people can get up and run a 5k. I am not one of those people. I have been doing a modified couch-2-5k program (because, you know, after driving in Street Modified, stock just doesn’t cut it anymore) and am just a few weeks away from being able to run a 5k. The program uses combinations of walking/jogging, with gradual increases in jogging time and decreases in walking time. It strongly encourages users to start with week 1 even if it seems easy to jump ahead. I, of course, did not start with week 1, I started with week 4. I had challenges with following the program, in part due to schedule challenges and sleep-deprivation, but I’ve been making slow progress. I am now on week 7, even though I started the program over 3 weeks ago. In retrospect, it probably would have been better to start with week 1 and get faster gradually. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s doable to skip ahead. Similarly, I went from driving (almost solely) a MINI in D Stock to driving a Nissan 240SX (aka Panda) in Street Modified. I often wonder if it would have been better to move up gradually. Maybe I should have tried out A Street, or even DSP. We do, sort of, have a DSP car after all. Although as PJ once said, “Who drives a Subaru in DSP?” So here I am, trying to tame the beast known as “Panda” and trying to keep up with all of the ridiculous talent on Team Panda (which includes 3 National Champions). Not easy, but doable, right?
On one of my recent runs, I found myself zoning out and taking steps, but I was not putting in effort to make real strides. I was going through the motions, putting one foot in front of the other, but I was not pushing myself forward. It struck me that I would not get faster if I did not push myself. What a simple concept! I also realized that when I push the jogging stroller, I’m not as fast as when I’m alone, but I should still put in effort and focus on moving forward. The Devens National Championship Tour is coming up this weekend, so I will have 2 days to put my thoughts into action. I will push myself to get faster. I will not zone out. I will have the baby though, so I might be a little slower than when I’m on my own, but I will not just go through the motions. And now that it’s on the internet, it will have to be true.
PS I am in no way, shape, or form, implying that driving a MINI is like sitting on a couch. It’s not! It’s super fun, especially when it’s MY MINI! Not that I remember what that’s like, because it hasn’t been running since October. But I digress…
