Believe. I Am. {Fort4Fitness 2015}

At some point, you're going to stop surprising yourself and start believing in yourself, right? Because you really are stronger than you think. :)

The comment from Tami on my Muncie Mini-Marathon recap stuck with me as I prepared for the Fort4Fitness Double Play.

I wanted to run strong, be strong, when I hit the line for the 10K. But just how much, I wasn't sure. I had, possibly stupidly, ran a 2:04 half the week before a A-/B+ race. I would do my best to recover but a week might not be enough. I also was logging decent paces, for me right now, but those were still in the 9:20 range.

Could I do that for an entire 10K? Was I that strong?

I was going to hope so. So, as I prepared for the race on Friday night, I told Mark that my goal was to average a 9:15 pace.

Tami's comment looped through my head as I stood at the start. I didn't need to be strong. I was strong. I just needed to believe.

But in the 6.2 miles between the start and the finish line, I realized something: It's scary to believe in yourself.

You tear down walls and expose insecurities. You open yourself up to disappointment. You open yourself up to failure.

Also, self deprecation and doubt are decidedly not cute.

If you dare, though ... if you give yourself the chance, you have the opportunity to build confidence. To surpass your expectations. To be the person you've been chasing.

At mile 3 of the Fort4Fitness 10K (the first of my two races Saturday), with a nudge from a run clubber, I decided to believe. I decided I was strong. I willed myself to catch up to that girl.

My 10K with an average pace of 9:15 turned into a race without a single split beginning with "9."

8:45, 8:30, 8:31, 8:50, 8:53, 8:52 and 8;30 (pace for 0.2)

My finish time was 54:39, for an average pace of 8:49.

So much for the 9:15. I decided to save that pace for the 4-mile race that was two hours later.