I am a Runner

Happy Pre-Friday everyone! The other night I clicked a link on Twitter, read this blog  and then shed some tears. Several of you have been here for the last several years and know my journey to get healthier, and how I’ve started running and stopped, started and stopped more times than I can count.

It took some time to for me to actually start “running”. I worked up to it. I walked. A lot. I did the elliptical. I tried outside. And came right back in. It’s hard. And there are people out there. People that could see every jiggle and bounce my body took with each stride.

It has been almost a year since I started “running”. And up until a few weeks ago, I still wouldn’t have called myself a runner. Y’all remember my first 5k from a few weeks ago? Remember those two girls talking and I distanced myself from the conversation because I thought they were friends – but come to find out, they were strangers too – they just had allowed themselves to embrace the running community, where as I hadn’t yet. I was standing there waiting for someone to tell me that I didn’t look like a runner. That I shouldn’t even be there.

That’s the little voice in my head that I live with. That I think most of us live with. That voice that can come up with 1,000 reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Why you shouldn’t run that race, why you shouldn’t take the new job, why you shouldn’t move across the country. Or even why you shouldn’t say yes to that invitation that your friend issued.

But you know what? Not once has that voice been right. I always have fun when I say Yes to the invitation. Taking the new job led to an amazing life, one I couldn’t have imagined that allowed me to be there more for my son. And you know what, not a single person at that race told me I wasn’t supposed to be there. Not a single one even gave me a sideways glance. Everyone I encountered smiled, and spoke, and invited me in.

And now I can say that I’m a runner and not put the quotation marks around it.  Now I can share with all of you what, up until this point, was pretty much only known if you follow me on Instagram! I was afraid to put it out there.  I was afraid to declare my intentions.  The little voice was telling me that I wouldn’t find acceptance.  Fortunately, I am stronger, WE are all stronger, than that little voice.

So, go run.  Go paint.  Go capture a soul through your photography.  Go step outside your comfort zone and take the new job.  Move.  Explore.  Do.

And go read Ashley at Rather be Runnin’: 

Rather Be Runnin’

P.S. I linked to some old posts of mine, which was weird, because (1) they were old and apparently my writing style has change (hopefully for the better) and (2) they were not even telling the story the way I thought they were!  So, you don’t have to bother to go back and read them!

My Life is Full of Challenges

I know, I know, you have challenges, too.

All of our lives are full of challenges.

Some are not by our conscience choice, but due to decisions that we’ve made and placed us in certain circumstances.  Some challenges are completely brought on by us and some challenges we actively seek out.

Because sometimes we are all a bit nuts!

Last month I took this:

And turned it into this:

Look at that!!  Go Me!! I completed the challenge!

1840 squats.  902 lunges, 1550 crunches, 500 very long seconds in push up plank.

#winning

Now, as you know, I also took the declutter challenge.  One item on day 1; two items on day 2; three items on day 3; etc.  If you add that all up, it comes up to about 500 items.  I chose to break it into sections of my house.

And, guess what?

I failed.

I could not toss 500 items.  I made it to 362 I think the sheet says.

But, I gave it my all! I even parted with items I really didn’t want to!

The flip side of this is that I learned a bit more about me.

At one point I was in the kitchen and all of the cabinets and drawers were open, and all I had managed to do was find about 10 items, like an extra coffee scoop and some broken magnets that used to be on the fridge, and I was feeling very dejected.  Then I got mad! If I hadn’t had that garage sale 2 years ago where I got rid of all of my extra kitchen stuff, then I would have had another 50 items – easily – to count towards the challenge!

Next I was in my closet.  I knew that Mr. T had just bagged up about 50 items, so I just had to match that.  I think I found about 20 items.  And that includes socks with no mate and broken earrings!  Again, I was defeated! I couldn’t come up with more than 20 items! Then, again, I got mad! If I hadn’t been cleaning out my closet for the past couple of months, if I hadn’t sold those 10 pairs of shoes, I would have been so much further along!

Do you see the trend? The past several years I’ve been getting rid of things, which is great – but here’s the good news – I haven’t brought back in the items! The items that have been purged have not returned to my house!  I haven’t replaced my unwanted/unused/not necessary items!

So, yes, I totally failed.

And I’m totally taking that win!

So, how do you follow-up these challenges?

With more challenges!

I may have little upper body strength, and I may be using girly weights, but I’m taking the challenges!

And I hope your life is just as full of challenges, too!  

My June Joust

 

Before I declare my June challenges, let’s recap how May went!

1. Increase my daily exercise from 30 min to 60 min.  This will be a combination each and every day.

This did happen, except for the one week I took off.  

2. Yoga 2 – 3 times a week.

This did not happen.  I have issues with Yoga, Yoga is not my friend.

3. Continue with my wall sit (this is thrown in so that no matter what, I know I will accomplish something!)

Done!  Yippee!!  

4. Schedule community volunteer time (cause my mental health is just as important!)

Researched, but not scheduled.  I have to make time to fit this in, and unfortunately, their volunteer hours and the hours I had free didn’t match up.  

So, 2/4 challenges completed.

Now, thanks to Nancy at My Years of Sweat (who by the way just completed a day hike that she was clearly told could kill her if she did it in a day – but survived) here are my June goals.

1. Finish the calf raise challenge that I started in May when I realized that yoga sucks.  🙂

2. Do a plank challenge.  And I’m calling out Me, Who Am I? to join me because she said she would!

3. Continue to incorporate 60 minutes of activity/exercise into my daily life.

4. Now, here is where I planned to actually do the community volunteer time that I have researched, but I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know if I can fit it in – so this is tentative!

June is a really busy month for us.  This is Mr. T’s last week of school.  Next week he is gone for a week at church camp.  He is back for a few days before he leaves for Cheer (Mascot) camp and I leave for Vegas, Baby!  About 10 of us are going to Vegas to celebrate my 4oth birthday!  Whooo Hooo!  (I’ll update you on that later).  We are both home for a week and then I leave for a 4 day business trip, only to return and immediately prepare for our annual family reunion the first weekend in July.

My intentions are good; however, I will not overload myself with challenges and put additional stress on myself just because I’m uber-competitive! I want to be able to enjoy my life, too!

Join us!

Kerry’s Winding Road

My Years of Sweat  – who hasn’t posted her challenges yet, but she’s been busy taking the hike of death, so I’ll update this once she does!