Last night our running club at Rogue did a 2 mile time trial around a track in order to gauge our marathon goal pace at this stage of our training.

The entire team started the 2 mile run at the same time. Our coach, Bobby, instructed the ‘slower’ runners to use in the outer lanes of the track and the ‘fast’ people who intended to push-it to use the inside lanes. I began running in lane 3 but as I started to pass other runners, I moved over to lane 2. With each turn around the track, I moved into lane 1 in order to be efficient around each bend. Throughout the first mile, I continued to move back to lane 2 during the straight-aways and checked over my left shoulder to see if anyone was coming up behind me who may need the inside lane.

I realized 1/2 way through the time trial that no one else was passing me! I finished the first mile in just over 7 minutes. I was running faster than I thought I could and I felt great. The rest of the 2 mile run was challenging but awesome at the same time. I went into the workout telling myself that I wouldn’t push that hard (which I know is impossible for me) but as per usual, I felt like I was about to puke at the end. The 14:08 finish time is a big accomplishment for me and improves my confidence and excitement about what I’m capable of as Feb 19th approaches.

I realized through this experience that for much of life I’ve been living in ‘Lane 2′, always making sure that I’m not in anyone’s way and thinking of others before myself. I do think this is a beautiful quality. However, last night when I realized that I deserved to be in ‘Lane 1′, the inner-warrior awakened inside me. I can live in ‘Lane 1′ and still be aware, encouraging, and compassionate towards other people around me. Its okay to put myself first and to have the confidence that I belong there!