Entries Tagged 'Inspiration' ↓

No, no…I haven’t been making homemade vegetarian pizza instead of running…

of course not…

how dare you suggest such a thing! This is just a…a circle of running motivation. Yes, that’s it. Running motivation.

*gulp*

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this yet, but I live in the stunningly beautiful pacific northwest. I love where I live. The only downside is that it rains far too often.

However, it has been HOT lately.

I’m sure my readers living in hotter climates would laugh at what I consider “hot,” but hey, I don’t have air conditioning!

But there is a bright side!

My morning run was beautiful this morning. I ran at 5:00 a.m. (as I’ve–yikes!–been doing lately) and it was the perfect temperature. The sunrise was gorgeous and “the mountain was out.” In the midst of huffing and puffing my way down the street, I couldn’t help but stop and appreciate the beauty.

I just wish I’d had my camera!

Despite recent rumors, (have there been many rumors? ooh, I hope so) I am alive and well. Not only alive, but running strong. I’ve been finishing up several other projects and have had little time/motivation for this blog, which is a sad story, but I hope to be back on “track” soon (get it?).

The good news is that my running hasn’t suffered. I’m still waking up early nearly every morning and running. The beautiful thing is that I’m not alone. I can’t believe the amout of 5:00 a.m. runners in my neighborhood! I keep wanting to stop and talk to them, but they’re too darn fast!

Happy running everyone!

A Beginning Runner: The Downfall

The other night, I slugged* into my house and collapsed onto the living room couch. My grump levels were rising rapidly as I flipped through the endlessly boring T.V. stations.

“W-w-what’s wrong?” my boyfriend dared to ask.

“Bah! I’m in a bad mood. Gah! Bah! Ah!”

“Did you…umm…did you run this morning?” he whispered.

“NOO I DIDN’T RUN THIS MORNING!!!” I said, as nicely as possible.

And that’s when I realized a) television has gone to crap b) I have a far too understanding boyfriend and c) running affects my mood.

Really.

Yesterday, I slept in instead of running. Throughout the day, I ate both ice-cream and chips. So as you can see,

I am not a perfect runner.

I make mistakes…like sleeping in and eating ice-cream. This difference was this time, I was not going to let a “mistake” slip me up for good.

And so I went running. My belly full of chocolate fudge ice-cream and fake cheesy chips, I made the lap around our neighborhood.

I came back feeling both sick and uplifted. But the point is I did it. Why? Because:

Running makes me happy

Eating bad food–while it may feel good at the time–doesn’t make me happy. Taking care of my body, on the other hand, makes me really really happy.

*Slugged: A word meaning “to move like a slug.” Opposite of “jogged.” Pretty sure I made it up…

I’ve been tagged by Andrew over at Andrew is Getting Fit to write a 6 word memoir. After much thought, I’ve decided on:

“She did what made her happy.”

One of my goals–in running and in life–is to do what makes me happy. Being “happy” encompasses many things to me. It means I’m in control of my own life. It means I make my own decisions, and I do things that bring me joy. Happiness isn’t short-term, and it isn’t easy. In fact:

Running brings me long-term happiness because it’s so difficult.

I’m sure you understand.

So there you have it. I’m tagging:

Jeff at “My Journey from Couch Potato to Trail Runner”

Allison at “A Beginning Runner’s Weblog”

Chris at “Gibtown Runner”

Linda at “Gymnotes”

Joe at “Learning to Run”

These are the rules:

• Write your own six word (max) memoir.
• Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
• Link to the person who tagged you in your post.
• Tag at least five more blogs.
• Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

It started in High School. As a teenager, a good student but hesitant to join in with the other kids. I had my group of friends, yes, but I always felt something missing.

That’s when I decided to join the cross country team.

Just like that. I don’t know. It was the sort of idea you have every reason to ignore (and most of the time you do). But this time, for whatever reason, I didn’t ignore it. I told my dad I wanted to join, and he–an athlete himself–beamed with pride. He knew the coach personally.

“I’ll call him up,” he said.

And he did.

And that was it. I was a runner. No turning back.

And so I went to practice–nervously–and ran around the track, my head hung low. I struggled to finish the first few laps and when the coach yelled for us to run the stairs, I nearly fainted for fear of not finishing.

As the other perfect runners completed their perfect times, I jogged like an ungraceful baboon to the finish. As I approached the field, I envied the way the others stretched their long perfect legs. Always, all of them looking perfect perfect perfect.

And that was when I threw up.

Imperfectly, of course. And everywhere. And that is when a boy uttered, “Ahhh, nasty!”, his friends all nodding in agreement. And of course, I couldn’t argue with them.

It was nasty.

And that’s when it happened.

The assistant coach approached me. I was still blushing when he arrived, afraid of what he might say. But he didn’t embarrass me as I feared he would. Instead, he leaned in close so that only I could hear as he whispered into my ear:

“You know, you shouldn’t be embarrassed for trying hard. You pushed yourself today, and that’s something. They won’t respect you less for it–he paused–“As a matter of fact, they’ll respect you more.”

In the following months, I learned what he said was true. I was never fast. But I always worked hard.

And that was enough.

I hope to eventually add more to the story of “How Running Changed My Life.” I am a long way off from being where I was in High School, but I know now not to be embarrassed to try.

While I’m not a mother, I do have a mother. Which is why this morning’s run is dedicated to her. My mom was never much of a recreational runner, but I know she spent tons of time chasing after me.

Go mom, go!

This fact shapes my theory that mothers (and fathers!) make the best runners. I’m sure when I do have kids, it will change my running significantly.

Of course, how could it not? I’m sure having kids changes everything significantly.

So, is anyone here participating in the Mother’s Day runs?

1. It Builds Stamina

Running in the morning is tough. Your body is tired, and your mind–well, yeah, it’s tired too. But running in the morning regularly also means you’ll be better prepared for those evening runs, or a morning race.

At the very least, running in the morning makes me feel stronger. And that counts too, doesn’t it?

2. It’s Out of the Way

Run first thing in the morning and you don’t have to battle the “Well, I was going to do it but then I ate that large pizza and then I was just so busy.”

I can’t count the times I told myself I was going to work out and then didn’t because I just “didn’t get around to it.”

3. Schedule

Running in the morning fits into my schedule. I can wake up as early (or as late!) as the day permits. You can’t beat that!

4. Energy for the Rest of the Day

When I run first thing, I don’t feel the need to drink 10 cups of coffee to stay awake. I feel stronger throughout the day. My concentration is spot on. It works for me.

5. You Can Pig Out On Breakfast?

Okay, so maybe this is just what I tell myself after the third pancake.

Is anyone else with me? Or am I the only crazy morning runner?

It’s true. I’m not a fast runner, and I’ve never been much of a distance runner. Even at the height of my running, I was quite slow. Dedicated. But slow.

Does this mean–gulp–I’m really not much of a runner?

My answer to that question is a resounding NO. I was once much faster than I am now, and I believe I will slowly pick up speed. My tentative goal is to run a half-marathon and–while I am far from ready to do so now–I believe it can and will happen.

That is, with a bit of preparation.

However, I will never be the fastest

And I’m okay with that.

Too often the impression is given that the primary goal of running is to race, to compete with others. While I do enjoy this aspect of running, I much prefer competing with myself.

I may never beat the fastest man or woman in the world. But I can always push myself to run harder, faster, and farther.

But Why Run if You Can’t Win?

I’ll spare you the philosophical “because it’s there” argument and just say because I like it. I like pushing my mind and body to the extreme. I like being in shape. I like the sweat and tears.

And the blood, of course. Don’t forget about the blood!

Moral of the Running Story

It doesn’t matter how fast or how far you go, as long as you work hard, making a point to consistently push yourself. This applies to running, but I believe it applies to many other aspects of life as well.

*For the record, the 2nd lap was not much easier.

The problem with this morning’s run was not that I didn’t want to do it. Oh no. Quite the opposite to tell the truth. The problem was…

My Running Expectations Were Too High

I woke up this morning sure I was going to run a marathon. Never mind that I hadn’t been running in several months. Forget that I’d never ran more than, oh, say, six miles. Forget that I’ve never been the fastest, most agile runner. Forget it.

It was a new morning. I was a new runner. I mean, c’mon, I have a website now. That’s dedication.

And then I ran.

And ran. And jogged. And then I collapsed on the ground like that poor narcoleptic YouTube dog. It was a sad sight, my friends. A sad sight.

But it doesn’t matter. The point is that I did it, right? I wish I could tell you how far I went, how fast (or slow) I was going, but I don’t know.

I didn’t keep track. Which is probably a good thing for, you know, my self-esteem. But the point is not this.

The point is that the 1st lap may be tough.

But the second can only get easier, right?