"Finishing is better than starting; Patience is better than pride."
"Don't long for "the good old days", this is not wise."
I've been struggling with motivation recently. I gave up desserts for what is known as lent and I gained weight. I've been running at least 3 miles at least three times a week and can't honestly say I've lost any weight. In addition, I've been sleeping horribly and not feeling the greatest recently. The combination of it all has really been getting me down.
Tonight, when I was reading the Bible(gateway.com), I came to Ecclesiastes 7 which begins with a section called "wisdom for life." Boy, is it ever. In this particular week or so, there has been a lot of stress over different things. This passage (v1-v14) really put things in perspective for me. Verse 8 is what jumped out at me, "finishing is better than starting". It's great that I've started my journey to better fitness and health and the goal of a half marathon. But finishing that journey will be even better so I must push on.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Ready to run
Last Saturday I ran 3 miles for probably the first time in my life. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't. And, I even did it several other times this week. I feel so accomplished from one simple thing. As Saturday is coming up again, it's time to add distance, which is always a little scary. But, I'm looking forward to it. I've signed up to do my first official 5K and I'm excited about that. I'm doing it with people from work so in addition to being a personal goal, I get to spend time with my coworkers in a different setting. That's always a treat.
On the other hand, I've really been slacking on the Wii and other things. I let FCAT be my reason for this week. Honestly, it's so mentally taxing that I think it's a reason and not an excuse. So, this week should be better. James has done a great job encouraging me and even giving me a little bit of tough love/reality check. I hope that his encouragement along with my motivation from running starts producing some visible results.
This is where the positive starts to drain out ... I've really been struggling with my body image recently (more than usual). I feel like I've hit a wall and I can't bust it down, no matter what. I've hit a funk where I look at my wedding pictures and wish I could have that version of me back. Being realistic, it would take more than just diet and exercise for me to get back in that shape. However, I do really long for a better looking me, particularly in the abdominal region. As mentioned, James has given me a little tough love - he pointed out that I haven't been doing everything I could to fix it. So, I need to make the change.
Looking ahead: I have a 5K in April and hopefully a sprint triathlon in June. Summer will bring months of training and in the fall I'm hoping to reach my goal of doing a half marathon. I think I'll stick to half marathon distance for a little while before shooting for the big show ... too big of a show for now.
On the other hand, I've really been slacking on the Wii and other things. I let FCAT be my reason for this week. Honestly, it's so mentally taxing that I think it's a reason and not an excuse. So, this week should be better. James has done a great job encouraging me and even giving me a little bit of tough love/reality check. I hope that his encouragement along with my motivation from running starts producing some visible results.
This is where the positive starts to drain out ... I've really been struggling with my body image recently (more than usual). I feel like I've hit a wall and I can't bust it down, no matter what. I've hit a funk where I look at my wedding pictures and wish I could have that version of me back. Being realistic, it would take more than just diet and exercise for me to get back in that shape. However, I do really long for a better looking me, particularly in the abdominal region. As mentioned, James has given me a little tough love - he pointed out that I haven't been doing everything I could to fix it. So, I need to make the change.
Looking ahead: I have a 5K in April and hopefully a sprint triathlon in June. Summer will bring months of training and in the fall I'm hoping to reach my goal of doing a half marathon. I think I'll stick to half marathon distance for a little while before shooting for the big show ... too big of a show for now.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
On a high note
This week was interesting for me fitness wise. I don't remember the last time I was so unmotivated. I just really had no desire to do anything. Wait, I lied, Tuesday morning I was ready to go running when I walked outside and realized that it was raining. Then, 20 mile an hour winds kept me in bed every morning. Then Friday, I felt really convicted about not running all week. I had logged in some good time on the Wii but it's just not the same a running. So, I got up and went. Because I was late getting out, I thought about jsut doing a mile. Then I thought that while I was out, I should at least make it worth it and do 2. Then, if I was going to do 2, why not do the usual 2.5? As I approached the turn around point for 2.5 miles, I thought "what the heck?" and kept going to the traffic light. It turns out that I ran 2.8 Friday morning. I felt pretty good about it but was a little disappointed. I had set a goal a long time ago that I would be able to run three miles by the first week of March.
This morning, the last day of the first week of March, was a milestone for me. With literally 20 bags worth of leaves raked and bagged, I was planning on skipping my run this morning. Then the guilt set in. If I wanted to run a half marathon, I'd have to run more than once a week. Again, I initially thought of making it a short run. Then, I changed my mind. I figured out where to run that would total three miles. The easiest thing to do was to add it at the end of my run. And, I set the timer/pedometer on my iPod to see how long it took. Here's a summary of my run:
Mile 0-0.5: I hate this. Why am I here?
Mile 0.5 - 1.0: I need to suck it up, it's not so bad.
Mile 1.0 - 2.0: WOO-HOO! This is what I'm talking about, I feel great ... except my hip hurts
Mile 2.0-2.25: My hip hurts and my heel ... SUCK IT UP PAIGE, BE A WARRIOR!
Mile 2.25: Did I miss something, did someone stab me in the ribs and I didn't see it? Nope, no blood ... oh, that's a side stitch. I could stop ... don't be a loser, 13 miles is going to be harder than this.
Mile 2.5: Can everyone tell that I'm running bent over to one side? Jones used to tell me to keep going and it will go away ... does my side stitch know that it should be going away? I'm half a mile away ... I'd rather pass out than stop now.
Mile 2.5-2.75: Someone's coming from the opposite direction ... quick, stand up straight and smile. Nope, I can't fake it, this sucks.
Mile 2.75-3: Sure, now the side stitch gets better ... better late than never. Only 10 more houses to pass and it's over.
Mile 3: I DID IT!! I'd like to thank my running shoes for their support in today's venture and my iPod for drowning out the sound of my breathing so I thought I was breathing normally the whole time.
The most surprising part of my run was when I was done, I looked at the timer and I ran 3 miles in 38:30 which figures into about 12:50 a mile. I'm pretty proud of that pace considering how inconsistent I've been the past two weeks.
Not only was today a goal of mine but it meant so much more to me. I was able to look past the different pains I was feeling and keep going. That's pretty symbolic in several ways for me. Plus, it makes me feel a whole new sense of motivation about the half marathon. If I set this goal and reached it, I can reach all of my goals. I'm looking forward to starting my training for the race and seeing how else I amaze myself in the coming months.
This morning, the last day of the first week of March, was a milestone for me. With literally 20 bags worth of leaves raked and bagged, I was planning on skipping my run this morning. Then the guilt set in. If I wanted to run a half marathon, I'd have to run more than once a week. Again, I initially thought of making it a short run. Then, I changed my mind. I figured out where to run that would total three miles. The easiest thing to do was to add it at the end of my run. And, I set the timer/pedometer on my iPod to see how long it took. Here's a summary of my run:
Mile 0-0.5: I hate this. Why am I here?
Mile 0.5 - 1.0: I need to suck it up, it's not so bad.
Mile 1.0 - 2.0: WOO-HOO! This is what I'm talking about, I feel great ... except my hip hurts
Mile 2.0-2.25: My hip hurts and my heel ... SUCK IT UP PAIGE, BE A WARRIOR!
Mile 2.25: Did I miss something, did someone stab me in the ribs and I didn't see it? Nope, no blood ... oh, that's a side stitch. I could stop ... don't be a loser, 13 miles is going to be harder than this.
Mile 2.5: Can everyone tell that I'm running bent over to one side? Jones used to tell me to keep going and it will go away ... does my side stitch know that it should be going away? I'm half a mile away ... I'd rather pass out than stop now.
Mile 2.5-2.75: Someone's coming from the opposite direction ... quick, stand up straight and smile. Nope, I can't fake it, this sucks.
Mile 2.75-3: Sure, now the side stitch gets better ... better late than never. Only 10 more houses to pass and it's over.
Mile 3: I DID IT!! I'd like to thank my running shoes for their support in today's venture and my iPod for drowning out the sound of my breathing so I thought I was breathing normally the whole time.
The most surprising part of my run was when I was done, I looked at the timer and I ran 3 miles in 38:30 which figures into about 12:50 a mile. I'm pretty proud of that pace considering how inconsistent I've been the past two weeks.
Not only was today a goal of mine but it meant so much more to me. I was able to look past the different pains I was feeling and keep going. That's pretty symbolic in several ways for me. Plus, it makes me feel a whole new sense of motivation about the half marathon. If I set this goal and reached it, I can reach all of my goals. I'm looking forward to starting my training for the race and seeing how else I amaze myself in the coming months.
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