Did I just do that?

Ho...ly.. Hell.

Today was the first major test of my running abilities. Twenty Minutes Straight.
I was looking forward to this day for the past week, and also fearful of doing this run. I was glad this run ended up on a day I got to run with my partner. We were both in the same boat in running abilities for this one, so I think we were both also thinking along the same lines.. "Can I do this without stopping?" At least we were running together, so the chance of stopping in agony was greatly reduced. Neither one of us wanted to be the one to call "chicken".

We began our run with a nice pace. Honestly, I couldn't tell you how fast we would have been going. Im certain we aren't near the 30 minute 5K time yet, but the pace was good for the both of us, and kept us warm enough. Since it was in my neighborhood, I had an idea of where our markers would be for halfway and where we should end up for the finish. We began our run and just kept chatting to keep us occupied about what we were doing. I felt a little laggy to start, I had done a weight training class the day before and decided to up my weights a little. Because of that my legs especially, were a little fatigued and tight. It took about 4-5 minutes before the tightness seemed to vanish, and I was feeling comfortable with my running legs.

The weather was perfect for an outdoor run. Hard to believe this is Calgary and the middle of February. I fear what will become of me when we get a dump of snow or a cold snap, which is bound to happen sooner or later. I have enjoyed running outside so much over the past 6 weeks, that the thought of having to go into the gym and on the treadmill makes me a little nauseous! (And I like being at the gym!)

We kept chatting and moving along. I suddenly realized we had passed our halfway mark and thought we would be about 11-12 minutes into the run. My partner noticed that my App had not signaled a halfway point which it normally does. I didn't want to check my timer, but I had to make sure we were in fact over that halfway point.. even though I knew we had to be based on distance alone. What I wasn't prepared for was seeing that we weren't in fact 11-12 minutes into the run, but about to pass the 15 minute mark. I told my partner we were well over the halfway point and had a little smile to myself. A little more than 5 minutes left in this run. I could do that.

The last 5 minutes took a little longer it seemed. Maybe because I knew what the time was and was aware. Or maybe because I was feeling the fatigue of running as long as I had. Either way, my legs were slowly starting to feel it. My partner wanted to push hard for the last minute of time...so we went for it. Unfortunately I pushed a little too hard and had to ease back for the last 20 seconds, but we went for it.

We ended just a little shy of where I thought we would end. Until I realized we had actually begun about a block before we normally do. Seems I have a good sense for how far I can run in a certain amount of time!
I had done it.
No stopping.
Twenty Minutes. 

I will be honest, I  had tears in my eyes when we finished. I have accomplished many things in my life, and I have many things to be proud of. And this was one of them. This was one that I never expected I could do.. WANTED to do.
And I had done it.

And I still have a ways to go to get to that 5k mark. But I am ready for it.