The First Mile..

One of the things that I have learned over the past two months...I hate the first mile.  After having achieved a running distance of FOUR MILES this week, I can honestly say that the first mile is always the hardest.

I'm not saying that the end of a hard run is easy.  It's not.  Physically, that's the hardest part of my run (or is supposed to be).  But, mentally....that first mile is the hardest.  I have noticed that on my steady runs (2.5 miles) and my long runs (60 minutes), I am always slower and mentally just struggling through that first mile.  Once I turn the corner (haha) on my second mile, my speeds increase, my heart rate slows slightly, and I can relax into the music and enjoy (?!?!?) my run.  I'm still focusing on lap times and breathing and heart rate, but it gets easier and more enjoyable after that first mile.

This thought led to another question the other day...does that make me a distance runner?  It's hard to think of four miles as a DISTANCE when I have friends who run marathons and ultras.  But, could I see myself doing that distance in the future?  I'm not sure....maybe.  But, that's such a different answer than I would have given six months ago.  And, more importantly, does it really matter?  I'm a runner...that's the only label that matters.