Last year I pushed real hard. This year I’m taking it easy. What surprises me is how hard it is regardless. In Chicago I took my time and I still had troubles. My muscles still got tight. I still ached afterwards. My ankle still burned. However my heart rate was less. My stomach was less upset. I wasn’t panting trying to catch my breath. So I feel somewhat better physically going slower, but mentally I’m sad that I can’t keep up with what I did in the past and that I can’t go faster. Nevertheless I need to accept myself as I am – faster, slower, or in-between. That’s the tough part.
