Last year, when we were getting ramped up in our running, I said to my running partner, "I'd love to become one of those people who just goes for a 10 km run after work and it's no big deal."

Well, I did it! Last night we met after work with the intention of doing 10 km—after all, we have a 10K race on Sunday (so maybe we should have even gone longer). We were hardly going at top speed, but we had an awesome run in just over an hour and I felt better after than I had all day.

Races are fun, and I do have some time goals I'd like to set this year, but in a lot of ways, I think this is a worthier goal, as it's lifestyle-oriented, whereas races are one-time events. 10 years ago, I would "go for a run" and have to stop after 10 minutes (although I'd always continue with a walk—I lived in Victoria at the time, every walk was beautiful). Now, after a lot of practice, I can go for 10 km. It's a bit of an identity shift, but it feels wonderful and it's something I definitely want to maintain.

What are your lifestyle goals, and how are you reaching them?

View all of Kat's running posts on the Half-marathon diaries home page.

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