I found this quote and thought, "Wow, what a different outlook to have." For so long I would always think of how much I still have to lose, not how much I have done. Fact is, I am now 22 lbs less than I was 6 months ago. I am running further than I ever have. That workout I am getting in tonight, is one more than yesterday. That is one of the many things that keeps me going.
On to the topic of the impending 5K. We are now T minus 5 days. I have been having a lot of mixed emotions these last couple of weeks about this major milestone, ranging from pure excitement to absolute fear. I am excited about actually accomplishing a long term goal that we have worked SO HARD to achieve. I'm excited about supporting a cause that is so beneficial to so many people. What I have fear about is thinking "Am I going to be able to do this whole thing without stopping? Will the excitement of everything push me too hard in the beginning and not leave me enough to finish? Will I make a complete fool out of myself?" And then I remembered, "I am doing this for ME" I am not doing this for anyone other than myself(except for maybe my family...so that I can annoy them with my presence for many, many more years :)) Why do I care what I look like to anyone else on the sidelines? Why should anyone elses misguided judgement of me, effect how I feel and ultimately perform on Sunday? So my choice is to not let it. I don't care how fast I go, because at the end of the day the saying goes "You still lapped everyone sitting on the couch."
Now onto the miscellaneous issues on my mind about the race....the BIGGEST concern that I am letting myself have is to refine my IPOD playlist. I know, this seems trivial to some. But to many many people who run, music is their lifeline. A month ago I tried to run without my music as I forgot to get a good charge on mine. It did not work. I rely on certain songs to get me through the 1 mile hump that crosses me into that second mile. I will search for the perfect song at that 2.75 mile mark to give me that "Runner's High" and help me to finish. I have a few songs that are my warm up or cool down songs which are somewhat slower and don't carry a running beat. I plan to remove them completely from the list so that I can make sure to have a steady flow of the good stuff! If you haven't tried adding music to your workouts yet...I would encourage you to give it a try. It makes a WORLD of difference!!
Another issue on my mind is keeping my pace. I have a horrible time of doing this outside as I have said before. So tonight, I am going to see if I can nail down my timing on the treadmill and convert it to being outside. Maybe sometime soon I can save up some money and get one of those handy running watches that tracks splits, pace, and distance. Someday....
On non running issues, I have decided to give it another 2 weeks before I will step foot on a scale. I have been extremely discouraged this week because I have gained a pound and am stuck. I however am continuing to lose in the size department. I have stepped up my weight lifting though, so I am trying to remind myself that muscle weighs more than fat. The challenge going on at the Wellness Center has been fun to get my competitive side going so in keeping up with that, I have joined a challenge on an online group. The group stems from the blogger "Mama Laughlin"(who by the way you should also check out. She's hilarious), and they have created a Fitness Group on Facebook that does challenges and moreover has many women that just whole heartedly support complete strangers on their journey to healthiness, for no other reason than to support. I can't wait to get it started!!
Lastly, "Divide a run into 3 different parts. Run the first part with your head, the second part with your personality, and the third part with your heart".
I tried this and it is totally 100% true. It really does work. That first part consists of me playing mind games with myself "Run to .25 mile and maybe you can stop" "Hit that .75 and that is good enough" and just keep going...soon that first mile is done. The second part...I find the craziest, weirdest songs on my list and sing along to them in my head. I people watch. I remember funny things that happened through the day. Basically I distract myself, with myself. That 2 miles is done. And that final mile(the hardest for me) is full of "Come on Joelle. You have not come this far to just stop now. Give it every single ounce of strength that you have. You have gone through way worse than this and came through on the other side. What's another mile?" I remember why I am doing this, I think of that day that I am healthy and ready to think about adding another child to my family, I think about that day my children are grown and can make positive healthy choices, based on what their mommy showed them. And when I look down...that last 1.14 miles is done. And then you look back at that run and think "Man...that run was really easy".... And if all else fails...you can always pretend....
P.s. Here is the link to the fundraising page for the 5K this weekend. If you have anything to give, they would appreciate...as would I! Thank you so much to those that have already donated to this cause!
http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=1049632 Pin It
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