There are days when I REALLY don’t want to run. No matter how much I know I need to, even knowing fully well that I need to train for an upcoming APFT, sometimes, I just feel like being lazy and not running. When the weather is bad and I don’t feel like running, I’ll seize on that opportunity to be lazy. But when it’s 75 degrees out, cloudy, with a nice cool breeze, and I don’t feel like running? I do it anyway. And today, I’m glad I did.

I got my second fastest 5k time ever, just missing a new personal record by 6 seconds. SIX SECONDS!!! AAAAAAH!!! As for the run itself, I actually felt pretty good, and my heart rate was well under my max.

The lesson I take from this experience is that most of the time, the lead-up to an exercise session, a run, or anything else we know is difficult is worse than the actual task itself. For every run I’ve had in the past three years, this is definitely the case. Sometimes, those most dreaded runs become the most memorable or momentous. In my case, I almost had a personal best while feeling really great during the run.

What did it take to push me past not wanting to do it and just getting it done? Integrity. I told myself that if I want to claim that I have integrity, that I need to exercise that integrity with myself and just get the work done. Besides, it’s under 30 minutes of effort, so it’s really not all that long of a time to be uncomfortable. 60 push ups and 3.11 miles later, here I am, feeling great, eating a delicious food-prepped stuffed mushroom lunch, and having a nice cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee (unsweetened). It feels good.