The Power of a Run!
The power of a good run is amazing. Well, having a very relaxing, quiet weekend may have played a role too. Both seemed to have done a lot for my emotional well-being. I feel like I'm slowly headed toward a good path again, I just need to focus on getting down it.
The Hubby worked Friday, so after work I stopped for a 1/2 hour massage and headed home. I guess the massage could possibly have played into the redirection of my emotions too. I definitely needed it! It hurt so good.
I have been craving crab legs lately, so I even stopped on my way home and splurged on some crab legs and a small steak. A little surf and turf to lift the spirits, right? It definitely hit the spot! After dinner, I don't think I left the couch the rest of the night, except to let the dogs out to potty, or potty myself! I was a lump and it felt so good! I vegged out on chick flicks and enjoyed every minute of it.
Saturday morning I got a call from The Hubby that he got held over for a mandatory 12-hour overtime. So much for our golf outting. We made the most of it though. I brought him lunch and we sat and chatted for a bit. It's rare that we get so much quiet time midday! After I left the station I hit up some awesome back to school sales for the kiddos.
We're just about done clothes shopping. All four need shoes, socks and skivvies. Otherwise, we're down to just needing supplies for two of them. I'm really struggling with all of the 1st Day of School pics I'm seeing on Facebook lately. I'm not ready!!! There's still plenty of summer left. I'm very thankful our kids don't start until after Labor Day this year!
Once The Hubby got home, we enjoyed the quiet evening together and went out for dinner and drinks. A little relaxation, adult conversation and him solidly whooping me at cards was a good way to end the day.
Then came Sunday. I planned all week long to tackle my long run. I ran a couple of times last week, so I knew I had to push myself and see how my knee held up for a longer run. Here's where I feel everything started to shift for me. First, how about I explain my run through memes... Please forgive the one bad word in the second one, but oh did it fit perfectly for my run on Sunday!
Many of my running friends can completely relate to the story told through those two pictures. I could have let so many things ruin this run, or give me an easy out. I had just switched back to my iPhone earlier that morning (I'll refrain from the rant I want to have right now, but I am not pleased with Samsung!) and realized when I got to the head of the trail that I didn't have my running apps downloaded. Oops!
After sitting in my vehicle like a creeper while downloading the apps necessary for my run - BTW how did anyone run before smart phones?!? Kidding!! I could have just run for the time I knew it would take me to finish 6 miles, but I wanted to see my splits and watch to see if my knee became a factor in my pace. Anyway... I was all set. My phone was good to go, earphones in, start the app and silence. Huh? I set it to play music. Hello!! Why am I not getting any music?!? Oh yeah... I didn't DOWNLOAD the music on the phone. *sigh* So, I quickly downloaded Pandora and set it to 80s Cardio Station. This was actually a major highlight of my day!! I love me some 80s!
So, off I go. The trail I chose to run has seen me through a lot of therapeutic runs! When I was going through my divorce, I trained for my first Whistlestop on that trail. There were days I would hit that trail with tears streaming down my face and finish with a smile. I was placing bets it would work it's magic. It didn't disappoint.
In the beginning, I think some of my stress may have been eaten away by the dang horseflies that were trying to carry me away in the first quarter mile! Thankfully, they weren't horrible past that first little bit of the run or I may have abandoned ship. Don't think it didn't cross my mind!! I stuck to the gravel side of the trail on the corridor portion. The surface is much like the corridor I will run for the half marathon in October and I wanted to see how it felt. Honestly... it felt really good!! For the first time in a long time I found my rhythm early in my run and it felt great!
Actually, it felt so great that at the half way point I decided to push myself a little farther than planned instead of turning around. It was shortly after that that I regretted my decision! I was headed back, uphill, with the sun beating down and the trees and bushes blocking every little bit of the minor breeze we had that afternoon. Thankfully, I thought ahead and wore my hydration belt. The only problem was that at one point I threw my head back to squirt water into my mouth and swallowed my gum!
Some of you may be thinking, "So, what? It will come back out eventually." Yeah, it will, but I run with gum. It keeps my mouth from completely drying out while I'm panting like a dog as I run. There may have been a couple of naughty words muttered at this point in my run, but I trudged on.
Mile five sucked! Plain and simple! I was hot. I was in my head, questioning why I was doing this and doubting my ability to run the half. My legs were tired. The guy on the mini motorbike was irritating me to the point where I was plotting ways to wipe him out on his next pass - partly because he forced me up onto the pavement and partly because he was about as irritating as those stupid horseflies. Then the little angel in my earphones said, "5 miles. Split time 12 minutes, 50 seconds." ONE MILE TO GO, BABY!! That's when I knew I would make it!! It was still a struggle. I was tired and before I knew it, I was back in Horsefly Alley. ACK!!!
Here's a visual for you... Me. Running with both arms waving up over my head like windmills to keep the bugs away from my head, while slapping my thighs to kill the ones that were attacking down low. Yeah, great fun!
And then it was over.
I ended up running 6.2 miles... a 10K. And I ran it faster than I ran the same distance in May by over 2 minutes! BOOYA!! I've got this!!
The best part about all of it is that I feel lighter. I ran off some heavy burdens. I focused on me, puzzled through some things and came up with a few game plans.
I also conquered a huge challenge. I realized that I was worried, that after so many years of not being able to run, that my knee injury would be the show stopper for this year's running plans. It wasn't!! I survived a couple short runs, a long run and karate has been going ok (not as well as running, but I'm working on learning how to pivot without it affecting my knee).
So, it's full steam ahead!! This week I will get in at least two shorter runs, two karate classes and then I am scheduled for 7 miles this coming weekend. We will be in Michigan visiting family, so I'll have a new landscape to check out. The downfall of that is not knowing where I'm going, so I just have to pray for a somewhat flat route!
Tonight we will celebrate Emmy Lou's birthday with family. We're having a BBQ! The good thing about this party plan is that I can make good decisions. I'm trying not to overwhelm myself. I'm not going to obsess about food, but I will try to make better decisions. I have to remember to fuel myself for my current activity level and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Happy Monday everyone!!
The Hubby worked Friday, so after work I stopped for a 1/2 hour massage and headed home. I guess the massage could possibly have played into the redirection of my emotions too. I definitely needed it! It hurt so good.
I have been craving crab legs lately, so I even stopped on my way home and splurged on some crab legs and a small steak. A little surf and turf to lift the spirits, right? It definitely hit the spot! After dinner, I don't think I left the couch the rest of the night, except to let the dogs out to potty, or potty myself! I was a lump and it felt so good! I vegged out on chick flicks and enjoyed every minute of it.
Saturday morning I got a call from The Hubby that he got held over for a mandatory 12-hour overtime. So much for our golf outting. We made the most of it though. I brought him lunch and we sat and chatted for a bit. It's rare that we get so much quiet time midday! After I left the station I hit up some awesome back to school sales for the kiddos.
We're just about done clothes shopping. All four need shoes, socks and skivvies. Otherwise, we're down to just needing supplies for two of them. I'm really struggling with all of the 1st Day of School pics I'm seeing on Facebook lately. I'm not ready!!! There's still plenty of summer left. I'm very thankful our kids don't start until after Labor Day this year!
Once The Hubby got home, we enjoyed the quiet evening together and went out for dinner and drinks. A little relaxation, adult conversation and him solidly whooping me at cards was a good way to end the day.
Then came Sunday. I planned all week long to tackle my long run. I ran a couple of times last week, so I knew I had to push myself and see how my knee held up for a longer run. Here's where I feel everything started to shift for me. First, how about I explain my run through memes... Please forgive the one bad word in the second one, but oh did it fit perfectly for my run on Sunday!
Many of my running friends can completely relate to the story told through those two pictures. I could have let so many things ruin this run, or give me an easy out. I had just switched back to my iPhone earlier that morning (I'll refrain from the rant I want to have right now, but I am not pleased with Samsung!) and realized when I got to the head of the trail that I didn't have my running apps downloaded. Oops!
After sitting in my vehicle like a creeper while downloading the apps necessary for my run - BTW how did anyone run before smart phones?!? Kidding!! I could have just run for the time I knew it would take me to finish 6 miles, but I wanted to see my splits and watch to see if my knee became a factor in my pace. Anyway... I was all set. My phone was good to go, earphones in, start the app and silence. Huh? I set it to play music. Hello!! Why am I not getting any music?!? Oh yeah... I didn't DOWNLOAD the music on the phone. *sigh* So, I quickly downloaded Pandora and set it to 80s Cardio Station. This was actually a major highlight of my day!! I love me some 80s!
So, off I go. The trail I chose to run has seen me through a lot of therapeutic runs! When I was going through my divorce, I trained for my first Whistlestop on that trail. There were days I would hit that trail with tears streaming down my face and finish with a smile. I was placing bets it would work it's magic. It didn't disappoint.
In the beginning, I think some of my stress may have been eaten away by the dang horseflies that were trying to carry me away in the first quarter mile! Thankfully, they weren't horrible past that first little bit of the run or I may have abandoned ship. Don't think it didn't cross my mind!! I stuck to the gravel side of the trail on the corridor portion. The surface is much like the corridor I will run for the half marathon in October and I wanted to see how it felt. Honestly... it felt really good!! For the first time in a long time I found my rhythm early in my run and it felt great!
Actually, it felt so great that at the half way point I decided to push myself a little farther than planned instead of turning around. It was shortly after that that I regretted my decision! I was headed back, uphill, with the sun beating down and the trees and bushes blocking every little bit of the minor breeze we had that afternoon. Thankfully, I thought ahead and wore my hydration belt. The only problem was that at one point I threw my head back to squirt water into my mouth and swallowed my gum!
Some of you may be thinking, "So, what? It will come back out eventually." Yeah, it will, but I run with gum. It keeps my mouth from completely drying out while I'm panting like a dog as I run. There may have been a couple of naughty words muttered at this point in my run, but I trudged on.
Mile five sucked! Plain and simple! I was hot. I was in my head, questioning why I was doing this and doubting my ability to run the half. My legs were tired. The guy on the mini motorbike was irritating me to the point where I was plotting ways to wipe him out on his next pass - partly because he forced me up onto the pavement and partly because he was about as irritating as those stupid horseflies. Then the little angel in my earphones said, "5 miles. Split time 12 minutes, 50 seconds." ONE MILE TO GO, BABY!! That's when I knew I would make it!! It was still a struggle. I was tired and before I knew it, I was back in Horsefly Alley. ACK!!!
Here's a visual for you... Me. Running with both arms waving up over my head like windmills to keep the bugs away from my head, while slapping my thighs to kill the ones that were attacking down low. Yeah, great fun!
And then it was over.
I ended up running 6.2 miles... a 10K. And I ran it faster than I ran the same distance in May by over 2 minutes! BOOYA!! I've got this!!
The best part about all of it is that I feel lighter. I ran off some heavy burdens. I focused on me, puzzled through some things and came up with a few game plans.
I also conquered a huge challenge. I realized that I was worried, that after so many years of not being able to run, that my knee injury would be the show stopper for this year's running plans. It wasn't!! I survived a couple short runs, a long run and karate has been going ok (not as well as running, but I'm working on learning how to pivot without it affecting my knee).
So, it's full steam ahead!! This week I will get in at least two shorter runs, two karate classes and then I am scheduled for 7 miles this coming weekend. We will be in Michigan visiting family, so I'll have a new landscape to check out. The downfall of that is not knowing where I'm going, so I just have to pray for a somewhat flat route!
Tonight we will celebrate Emmy Lou's birthday with family. We're having a BBQ! The good thing about this party plan is that I can make good decisions. I'm trying not to overwhelm myself. I'm not going to obsess about food, but I will try to make better decisions. I have to remember to fuel myself for my current activity level and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Happy Monday everyone!!
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