JTB: Randomly Ready

Miles: 70

They say… we are never really "ready"…..if you wait until you are "ready"…. you may be waiting for the rest of your life…..lucky for me… it turned out "now" was as good a time as any….. to be….."ready".

There is a local athlete I have admired for a long time… a local runner who came in 2nd in the carmel half marathon 2 years ago, named Karen Frederick. She writes an amazing blog…I love reading other runner's blogs….. you know to find out how they became so awesome… in hope that it may rub off on me…. today I read this and I am more than impressed….. more than inspired….."Therefore I am done….. Done with worry, and breath holding, and dark cloud gazing… I refuse to live in fear of any more pain in any area of my life. If it wants to find me, it will, but lord help me if it finds me cowering in a corner…. NO.  It will find me Brave."

I look at this statement…. I think about the pain that others go through, unbeknownst to me…. How much there truly is in life to be sad about….. About everything… how quickly sadness descends upon us…..in lost aspirations whether lost by failure or disappointment  or discouragement…. and I would like to think that we are all somehow,  brave. I think even if sometimes I am cowering in a corner, afraid to move forward and scared to stand still… I think at the end of the day…. I am brave because I keep going… whether that means in a dark corner or in my middle pack pace place or just getting out of my house… running with the best of the best…. or just continuing to run at all…. with my life….

It is a random friday night…. not much going on here…. tomorrow is long run day…. eating dinner… hanging out…. and just like a bolt of lightning crashing into the room it hits me…. I am ready to race again!  I have been in an incredible funk!  Feeling lost, slow, self pity, left out…. ironically for a crier, there were no tears…. I was indifferent…. I did not want to race.  And I couldn't foreseeably sign up for another race anytime in the near future…. they were just words…. ideas…. a season of races I was speaking… not committing to.  I was tired…. dreading the pressure and competition… the early cold mornings, the emotions…. even the fortune cookie…. I wanted none of it.  I had officially gone to NOlete status and THAT was JUST FINE.  My treadmill was JUST FINE.  My run/jam sessions in the basement blasting music…. it was all just where I wanted to be….. and then just like that, I was ready.

For the first time in a very long time, I am looking forward to tomorrows R.U.N. Most saturdays, I look forward to the company…. that is what has been getting me out of the door….. I have been slacking on my times…. minimizing speed work, doing half hearted workouts….. verbalizing goals with no attachment whatsoever. But ironically, I didn't stop running…. and looking at my 7.0 on the treadmill…. I had actually gotten better.  AND I was finally ready to push myself again!

So, it's just another random friday…. my daughter is making glass porcelain art…. my son is building legos…. and my little one is at her 4 hour practice getting even more awesome….. and I am absolutely can't wait excited about tomorrow morning!  Let the races begin!

Today, I hit a speed bag for the first time…. so if you are a runner….. then you get the art of repetition… to get better….. I could have hit that bag for 4 hours and not gotten bored…. I only had about 45 minutes and my hands are kind of sore and bruised…. but it was amazing….. just to focus on something and see my hand eye coordination begin to click…. for 20 min or so it was ridiculous…….I was so bad it looked like I didn't stand a chance…. Bag 1 Shannon -100….. ……….but slowly… it started to come together… slowly……….. slowly………..slowly……….
like taking seconds off miles….
If you want to be good at something… you must have patience and persistence ….. you must not quit….. you must keep trying…. no matter how hard or hopeless it seems….. you may never be as good as some one else.. but in time you will be the best you can be…. and that is really all it is about…. the best is only what that means to you…. only in realizing your true capability will you ever win at anything…. because to win and not give it your all is the epic loss...far worse that losing when you have given all you have….
The price of victory is a personal payment…true victory empowers you to realize your capabilities and the real win is placing everything on the line and never giving up…..risking it all to find your personal best and accomplishing everything you are truly capable of being….. it's about you.. and only you…. what you can really give… what can you really do….. and what you are ready to do….the risk and the reward…only in risking everything will you know what you were truly meant to be….. and the eternal victory in truly pushing beyond your limits and achieving your own personal greatness…. that is the real win! And it is right there….. waiting for you…. and right now…. I am…. ready… casting all sadness and doubt aside, letting go of dark clouds and embracing how easily happiness and confidence can brighten your sense of being,  illuminate your day, add pep in your step and ultimately redirect your life…..there are always 2 sides…. happy and sad….darkness and light….. and like a coin toss…. no matter how it lands all you have to do is flip it over to reveal the other side…… I have seen both sides in my life and I choose happiness…….I choose to chase my own personal victory… …. I am….. "ready"…  and I will find it…….BRAVE!


So, my coworker and friend has been doing cool cross fit like times workouts…. yes yep I needed this little challenge change…. Thrusters…. snatches…..chin ups…. FOR TIME!  where have you been the past few years…. did some power cleans…. my favorite thing EVER.  EVER! Prowler sled… it was a good day…..

Food….. apples, pecans and lumen greek yogurt…. quest bar…. YUM.  Shrimp!  Black beans, chicken and rice. Water water I need more water!



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