You have nothing to lose and everything to GAIN


Miles 248


Ok. So. It's Saturday.  Great night of sleep, eating the worlds biggest breakfast.  8 mile run day.
8 miles.  This, believe it or not is a tricky number for me.  8 seems like…ah yes 8, no big deal… entry level distance run… I could do this in my sleep.  Then…. mid mile 1…. it's like OMG 8 miles.  This is so hard….. I always underestimate the 8 miler.  I do not respect the 8 miler until it has mercilessly reminded me of it's difficulty.  5 miles…. I can do, not a problem …. 10-12 miles I can comprehend as difficult. But 8 is the one that gets me.  So it is 8 today.  YAY…not 10…. see here we go…..my mind says easy…….. think HARD.  Think difficult, think over an hour of solid mind and body commitment.  DO NOT underestimate the 8.

Breakfast pre run IS:  1 apple, 1 banana, 1/2 cup nuts and berries, 1/2 cup coconut, 1 cup of oatmeal.  That would be correct.  I am eating 3 CUPS of food.  For breakfast.  I am actually just about done.  ATE.  I ate 3 cups of food for breakfast.  And while I have not weighted myself in well over a month I am sure that the newly solid feeling of my body has upped the number on the scale.  But my clothes fit fine…. and the solid, stability I feel is kind of awesome.  Summer is coming…. and while I might not be a waif in my bikini… I can
A. still wear a bikini
B. kick some ass on the track.
C. eat what ever I want, when ever I want…. because I work my darn A$$ of almost every day and my A$$ need food!



I can feel the muscles in my legs when I run.  I can feel something like power generating from my push. My shoulders and core feel set and firm.  I feel kind of un stoppable. Trading thin for strong has it's benefits.  Years ago I ran to be thin. Now I run to win.  I do not want to be a thin runner.  I want to be a good runner. I am going to pass on the thin mint(my kids ate them all anyway) and grab a WIN mint!  For the first time ever I am beginning to think of my body in terms of gains and not losses.  I want to gain, muscle, speed, agility, strength, endurance, respect in my sport, PRs.  I do not want to lose anything.  This positive mind set is a very VERY powerful motivator.





I wish more women thought this way.  I wish working out and getting healthy was perceived as "Gaining" a strong, solid, capable body.  I wish food was seen as one of the methods in which we "gained" that healthy body and life style.  I wish instead of criticizing the barbie doll for being to thin… we though about how she could be healthier…. not for us…. but for her…. barbie sushi? A barbie protein shake… a barbie that the world recognized as a hard working, healthy, strong, beautiful….. doll….??  I wish we didn't obsess over who or what was on the cover of magazines, but appreciated the beauty because we also felt beautiful, special, and strong and didn't feel threatened by something we were not.  I wish more women thought about gains….. instead of losses….. I wish they were fighting a winning battle of goals, determination and strength, instead of a losing one….filled with diets, weight loss exercise regimens and dropping pounds.


Part of the fun of training is thinking about what to wear for the run.  Not going to lie about this.  I may have ZERO fashion sense off the track, but when it comes to running fashion I am all in.  I love the tiny shorts…. awesome crazy socks…. because if your socks are high your shorts can be short … cute motivational t shirts…. cute words for runners…. cute sports bras cute head bands… matching….not matching… OH the possibilities are endless!  AND there is the play list.  THAT is super important. The music kind of drives and narrates the run!  It is your story unfolding in the miles. If you keep finding stuff to be excited about…. clothes, music, most aerodynamic hair style, new training regimens, new run paths….new PR goals…. running stays fresh and it's something you can't wait to do….. it's always something to look forward to…. it never gets dull or monotonous… even on these really hard I don't wanna days( we all have those…..do it anyway)! Now I should mention here that a matching pair of socks just never seems to be in the cards for me….

And right now… the sun is shining…. My playlist is waiting and my closet is full of clean running clothes. The great 8  awaits me…… The elite 8.  The respectable, difficult, as solid as I
 want my body to be 8 mile run.  It's go time.

WOW.  Fresh air is amazing. My run felt fantastic.  Slow. But good. Steady splits… 8:39-8:53 with an 8:45 average.  SOOOOOO I am REALLY far away from where I need to be.  Two month out, training 8 mile run… 25 seconds off is a BIG difference.  But I am in love with the sunshine and the beauty around me as I take each fantastic stride.  And THAT is something.

My coach want's me to get a garmin.  A WHAT??  Oh I don't do that…. thanks anyway…. I am not a conformist water belt(it's in my drawer), weird clothing(everyone wears fluorescent knee socks), talk about running non stop(I just blog about it) traditional runner!  I am a rebel runner.  I don't do garmin. Besides it will make my wrist sweat… I just KNOW it.  And my phone has been my race partner for like ever….. so I guess for my birthday I will be getting a garmin.  But a really obscure crazy design garmin no one else has…. because no other runners do that……

FOOD:  TACOS PIZZA CHIPS because that is OK sometimes!

 Weekend work out:  JUST RUN








Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 24, 2015 at 5:29 AM

    I don't think much about fashion for running, but I admit I like the opportunity to wear bright colors. My work clothes are generally pretty muted (though I wear great, bright socks). But big, neon, clashing bright colors on my running clothes are very satisfying.

    ReplyDelete

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