Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

A lot of what holds me back at the gym is worrying about what other people think. I think about how sweaty and red faced I am after only 5 minutes minute on the treadmill and that I'm breathing like an 80 year old with emphysema. Well, both are true but why should I care? I'm there to work out and to push myself. Sometimes it isn't pretty but it's what it takes to make progress.

Tonight I told myself to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, but I was REALLY uncomfortable with it. The more I tried not to focus on my heavy breathing and wheezing, the more I thought I should just stop and walk.

Yes, I run slow, and yes, it isn't easy for me even at that pace, but I'm doing it. I got off the couch, laced up my sneaks and attempted to do something that doesn't come naturally. So there!

iRun

Got back into the groove today and did my sprints. My best was 0.25 miles at 10 mins/mi. I had to keep telling myself I could breathe later and I could anything for two and a half minutes. Not gonna lie, it was hard but I made it through. Tomorrow I go for a 2 mile run.

Time to get back on the bandwagon. I've been slacking for way too long and instead of making progress toward my goals I've gone backwards.

My "Everest" is the MORE Half Marathon in April. This year I did it in 2:50:18, 3 years ago it took 3:49:54. 2012's goal, 2:20.

I am officially in training once again. The half marathon is 5 months away and I have a lot of work to do, but I CAN do it.

Starting over is better than quitting...

At least that's what I'm telling myself as I struggle to get back on track. My goal tonight was to run two miles and I only made it one. I was able to do it in 10:47 but sounded like I was 80 years old with emphysema. I was wheezing and gasping for air but I finished. I guess that's something.

I have to start almost from square one which is a bummer, but I won't let it stop me from getting back to where I was. After I ran the mile I did sprints for a quarter mile each at 5.6, 5.7, 5.8 and 5.9. That pretty much used up any remaining oxygen in my lungs. It was hard but I pulled it together, remembered my mantra to FOCUS and am able to say that I achieved what I set out to do today. I haven't been able to say that in a long time.

"No road is too long for he who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it."

Green Goddess

Those who know me know that you won't catch me eating salad unless it consists of iceberg lettuce, a slice of cucumber and French dressing. Years of disliking veggies is finally catching up with me and I had to find a way to start incorporating them into my diet.

I came across a great blog called Green Monster Movement that contains recipes for green drinks. A sneaky way to get in some much needed vegetables if I do say so myself. Last week I got myself the knock off version of the Magic Bullet, a high speed blender that creates the drink right in the glass so there's less mess to clean up.

I experimented with a concoction that I'm calling the Green Goddess and here are the results. I blended orange/carrot juice with some spring water, baby spinach and frozen tropical fruit (strawberries, pineapple and banana). Taste? DELICIOUS! The baby spinach is unidentifiable other than the color and it tastes like a tropical fruit drink.

Tonight I'm going to throw in a few baby carrots as well and see how many other veggies I can add without affecting the taste.

http://greenmonstermovement.com/

Om...

I have two mantras: Focus and Breathe. I use these particularly when running because I often focus on the wrong thing like pain, time moving slowly or my inability to catch my breath. Hence the mantra "Breathe." It's a reminder to myself to check my posture, slow my inhale, etc. and to focus on the goal and how far I've come versus how far I have to go.

I haven't been focusing on much lately and it's time to get back. I Signed up for a 10K months ago and didn't train. Yesterday I showed up actually believing I could run 6.2 miles when I haven't run more than 1 in the past two months and have only run 5 miles once in my life. Yes, it was delusional. And more than that I disappointed myself when I ran the one mile I was able to, took off my timing chip and race number and walked back to the start line not making eye contact with anyone along the route.

It was proof that you get what you give. No effort = no accomplishment. Lesson learned the hard way once again but I'm not giving up. Tomorrow I start training again and looking forward to the day next year that I run the entire thing.

Failing to plan is planning to fail . . .

Yep. That about sums it up.

I've never been one to not achieve a goal I set, even if it takes me longer than it should. But once again, I've allowed myself to become distracted and end up further from where I wanted to be.

This Saturday is the 10K I registered for a few months back. I haven't run in a month and the last time I did I went a mile. Needless to say I'm pretty disappointed that I've made no real attempt to achieve this. I've also managed to gain a few pounds that are slowing me down even more making me want to work out less and less.

On Saturday I will go out there and take however long it takes to finish. Then I will find another race in the spring and get myself back to where I need to be to cross this off my list once and for all.

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down. ~Mary Pickford