The first mile is a liar!

My first mile always sucks. Now, I admittedly don't warm up very much before a run, a few toe touches, a half-hearted hamstring stretch, then I might jump around a little, that's it. But I think even if I had the world's most productive warm-up, my first mile would still suck. That's just how it goes. If I didn't know better, I'd have quit pretty much every run I've ever done after the first mile.

The first mile is a big, fat, liar. It's telling you; "this is hard, your legs are sore, your lungs hurt, you should be eating a cookie instead of running, look around you...no one else is running". That first mile wants you to quit it. It's slow, it doesn't feel right, you're too cold, too hot, too thirsty. So why go on? Why run past that first mile? Because there is some sort of magical switch that gets flipped after the first mile. You find your groove, your muscles relax, your breathing steadies, you get into the totally jamming part of your play list, and your body starts pumping out some excellent endorphins that make you feel like a rock star.

Today I almost bought the lies of my first mile. My mind was preoccupied when I started my run, my ankle hurt, it was slushy and sloppy, and my feet were cold. I was out of breath before I even got off campus and onto my trail. But in the back of my mind I remembered the first mile is a liar, so I stopped listening to it. I focused on my music and the fact that for the first time in 13 days I was running without icicles forming on my eyelashes, and I ran on. I am so glad I did. I felt so strong and smooth. I passed a couple other runners and couldn't help but smile to myself...."take that first mile, I just smoked those guys"*. I ran five glorious miles, mostly because that's all I had time for today, but I felt like I could have run forever. Thank goodness I didn't buy the lies of that first mile!

For those of you struggling to get past that first mile, I have been there. Just trust me on this. Next time your first mile is winning the argument to stop, say out loud "You're a Liar!" and run on, just a little more...you may end up being amazed at how far you can go!

*I am competitive...I can't help but get excited when I pass other runners, especially since it does't happen too often. I in no way think I am better than these runners, I truly admire anyone who gets out and does it. And I didn't really "smoke" them, more like I trudged past slightly faster...but still it felt like a win to me :)