Running- A Metaphor for MY Life...

Good MONDAY Morning!

I've said before that I never considered myself a runner and yet, here I am,

 training for the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon.

I know it's such overused metaphor, 

but running has become 

a metaphor for

my life.

How?

Well, I have been able to see how my running patterns

 are very similar to patterns in 

my life.

1. I always make things Larger than they are in my head!

"I could NEVER run 13 miles!"

Well friends, I haven't yet, but I have darn sure run farther than I ever have in my life!

This training has gotten me to 10 miles,

thank you very much

2. I tend to focus on the moment, versus the long term.

I want to run fast at the start.

I want to hurry up so I'll be done faster....yeah, right.

Meaning...I bite/chew my candy, not suck on it.

(even though I'm not eating candy anymore, I used to)

I'm more of the Sprinter vs. the Long Distance Runner.

3. I overthink my run before I run it.

Overthinking: it will kill you...

In my head, I overthink the run, 
how many miles, 

how I will look after the run 

(sweaty, of course),

fitting it into the day with carpool, 
kids stuff, 
errands, etc,

and sometimes I even get a little anxious before I run
 because I've just thought about it too much.

Just like life....need I say more?

4. I underestimate my strength, determination - basically shortchange myself.

I decided to make this 1/2 Marathon a goal to challenge myself to accomplish something I never thought I could.

I don't know why I allow myself to "go there",
even after all the "work" I've done on my insides,  

I still get moments when I am doubtful about what I am capable of,
truth be told.

This has been a life-long battle of knowing WHO I am, Who's I am,

and that I'm 
capable,
 lovable

and wonderful,

gosh darn it!

The funny thing is that if this were easy for us

there wouldn't be any growth, 

right?

Keep the faith and keep growing!

What about you?

When you exercise, 

where do you see areas that are metaphors for your life?

Where are you being "grown" in your life?

And remember, it's never too late!
Make today TOTALLY AWESOME!

Leave a comment below 
and 
I'll do an EXTRA crunch today for every comment! <3

Never Too Late

To some of you seasoned runners, my PR won't be that big of a deal, but it sure is to me!

9 Miles!

Nine, stinkin' miles.

I have never, in my life, 

run 

9 miles.

I'm training to run the 1/2 Marathon in October.

My personal goal is to run the entire 

13.2 miles.

Believe me, 

it won't be pretty.

You see, the BIG DEAL here is that I have never considered myself a Runner.

N.E.V.E.R.

Have I run before?

Of course:

as a child, playing tag,

as a teen, during practice and the basketball games,

as an mom, running after one of the kids heading towards the street.

A little.

Since I can remember, I have always been an Athlete.

I took Karate,

played softball,

played basketball,

ran track,

played volleyball,

racquetball,

took yoga,

did aerobics,

lifted, and still lift weights

but I have never thought of myself as a runner.

I had to change those thoughts.

And, I did.

It took believing, and doing- 

over and over again.

It would not have worked without the

belief

and

the action.

Guess what?

You can, too!

It is never too late to make changes,

in your health,

your mentality,

in your spirit.

It is never too late,

for 

anything!

Romans 12:2 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

(one of my very favorite verses)

What do you think it is too late to-do or change in your life?

What would it take in YOU to change it?

Have a Terrific Tuesday!!!

It's Official!

It's official!

I am signed up for my FIRST 1/2 Marathon!

It is on my bucket list

and

I could not be more excited!

Luckily,

I have friends that run.

You know, real runners.

The kind that don't get tired after like, 

3 miles,

who are helping me train.

So, 

me and a group of friends from the gym are doing it!

I've gone to barely running 3 miles to my most recent 

Personal Record,

(known as a PR)

7 miles

in 66 minutes!

Not bad for a rookie,

right?

So,

I will be posting about my workouts 

&

training for this 

BIG RUN!

What new thing would YOU like to try?

Crossfit?

Sandbags?

Zumba?

Give it a shot!

You'll be surprised 

how "alive" you begin to feel again!

And remember-

It's NEVER too late!

Small Changes Make A Big Difference!

Small Changes...

I'll be the first to admit it-

I don't like change.

I like going to the same gym

 at the same time,

to see the same people,

do the same cardio,

listen to the same music,

do the same routine,

at the same time,

at the same gym,

every

day.

BUT, I change easily when I have to.

My teaching job ended,

so I changed back to my "old" gym.

I don't have to be at the gym at 5:30 because of work,

so I changed the time I now go. 
(I get to sleep an hour more)

:-)

My Ipod broke,

so I changed my old Ipod to a new one.

I got the new Ipod pictured above and put my old songs into my new Ipod,

but the order of the songs has changed.

I'm in Chicago, so my routine of working out everyday
has changed.


I also changed my "eating plan" this week,
I actually indulged a bit. (wink)


GUESS WHAT?

Going back to the "old" gym was fun!

I got to see the "old" crew!

I love having a couple extra hours of sleep everyday!

I love the look of my new Ipod.

I love how my mind expects the next song 

and a different one comes on.

I'm excited to be in Chicago,

it's good to give your body a rest.

I had a ton of fun trying some food!
Yes, a sandwich with Pastrami, Cole Slaw, and FRENCH FRIES!

Since I took a couple of days off,

when I ran yesterday 

I was able to run

5 miles!

(i haven't done that in a year because of a knee injury- 
I know it is s...l...o...w.... don't laugh)


Do you need to change something in YOUR routine?
Is it time to try a new sport or activity?
What is something you can change in your workout to make it fresh?


Try to make 1 new change today.....somewhere....
GO for it!
I'd love to hear about it!

Mud Run #2

If you've never done a Mud Run, you've got to do it!

The first one I did was at the Great Park, which is the picture on my first post.

This is my second one.

(two years later)

I did it with a group of friends from the gym.

We had a blast!

The first one I did, I actually placed.

2nd in  my age bracket.

 (Seniors, Masters, the Old People Group)

This one, I don't think we placed,

but I had 

thee best time e-ver!

Mud in my hair,

pants,

shoes, 

socks,

and there,

too!

Ha Ha!

Karla never mentioned the 

LAKE of MUD

that we would be SLIDING into.

If I had known prior to the run about that LAKE of MUD,

I honestly would have hesitated about doing the run,

because I am the type of girl who does NOT like to get my hair wet.

Really.

I don't go swimming because of that.

I don't do Triathalons because of that.

I don't EVER go out w/my hair wet, because of that.

Well, I did that day.

It was  a blast and I'm SOOOOO glad 

Karla never told me.

HUGE risk for me to go down that slide.

I won't mention any names, but one of the girls actually opted out of the slide,

for what I think was that same reason I wouldn't have.

I was brave!

I took a risk!

YaY ME!

Why do I worry about things so silly as that?

Do you ever opt out of things because you're afraid of how you'll look?

I think I do that more than I'd like to admit.

I need to stop it

NOW.

What will you do, regardless of how silly you'll look?

Share!

About Me

About Me

Ok, I know. One more blog? REALLY?This is classic Sanguine Personality behavior. Start, start, and start, but rarely finish.The funny thing is that starting something far better than not starting or even trying, right? The goal of this blog is to encourage, educate and inspire you to work on becoming YOUR best!!

I do not have any fitness/health degrees, however, I have been an athlete since the 5th grade, was an All-League Basketball player in High School, ran track and played volleyball for our high school, and I have continued to take Physical Fitness classes while working towards my Teaching Degree in College.

I have struggled with a poor body image & low self-esteem and had been overweight for most of my childhood and teen years. After the birth of my first child, I gained an excess amount of weight and was sick of not feeling or looking my best so I did something about it!

I have found that going to the gym and hitting the weights has transformed me, inside AND out.I love it and could not imagine my life without exercise.I have been active all of my life, but not until I started understanding the tie between the mind and body, did my body begin to change into a healthier, stronger version of ME!I have come a long way and although I am in my 40's, I feel stronger, healthier and more confident than ever!

Let's work on becoming our BEST together!