Boom Goes the Dynamite.

It's suppose to be spring.

So I'm suppose to be running 8-10 mile long runs on the weekends.

The farthest I've ran since my half last September is 6 miles. In the snow. Up hill both ways.

Which I'm totally fine with because after the running season ended last fall I knew through the winter I just wanted to maintain my running and work on getting stronger. But what really happened is we had a shit storm of a winter and my running was minimal....and with all the horrible snow storms, ice, and snow days with the kids home I couldn't get in a good routine of going to spinning, or to any sort of place to workout. So I've been waiting incredibly impatiently for this weather to break so I could get back into a regular schedule.

Can you say Type A Personality.

As each weekend passed where I was suppose to be running 7 or 8 mile long runs and instead I'm trudging through 6 inches of snow and struggling to run 6 miles and coming home and crashing on the couch for the rest of the day because running through snow is like running through sand.

Though there were TWO days last week that were absolutely amazing. One of those days I took this little Gremlin out for our first run since last fall and it was so much fun. He's waiving like a crazy at every passing semi truck and chattering constantly.  I don't like running without music because as a friend of mine says...."I don't want to hear myself suffocating." But with him I usually only put one ear bud in so I can hear his constant chatter about trucks and birds and anything else that crosses his little squirrel mind.


So Friday I woke up and it was another B-E-A-utiful day. 45 degrees. Bright shining sunlight. The exact kind of day I'd been waiting for. I knew it was time. I knew I had to push past this six mile wall I had built myself.

NOTE: I had this exact.same.problem getting to mile 1 a year ago AND AGAIN getting past mile 3 when training for my half marathon. Exact.same.problem...........more on this later.

So out I went to run my first 8 miler since last fall when I was training for my first half marathon. I was running this while my hubs was home with this kids during his lunch break so I had EXACTLY enough time to run 8 miles and average a 10 minute mile.

For reasons outside of my control...think............THANK THE GOOD LORD there's a gas station at mile 3 on my route..................................................................................I had to cut my run short to make it back in time for my hubs to be able to get back to work. But this was still the FARTHEST I've ran since last fall and it felt good....but it wasn't the 8 miles that I so badly needed to see. I was proud of myself for sure but I needed to run 8 miles.


Now I want to talk for just a minute about why this 8 miles was so important. Remember all the times I've talked about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone....how that's where greatness happens...How when you conquer something you didn't think you could it's not just about becoming physically stronger but MENTALLY bulletproof...................yeah, all those warm fuzzies I talk about.....It has been MONTHS since I've been able to do something like that. I've been living very comfortably with my 3-4 mile short runs and 5-6 mile long runs for the past 5 months...aka..................THE WORST WINTER IN MICHIGAN HISTORY. So this 8 miles was me finally being able to mentally push myself to the next step in my training.

This wall I had built was 110% mental.

Just like it was when I wanted to run 1 mile.

Just like it was when I wanted to run past 3 miles.



Friday night I went to bed with a plan (TYPE A...ahhhhhem...type A.............) Saturday I was going to go to bootcamp...aka...the best total body workout I've ever had... and Sunday I was going to wake up and run 8 miles before going to church.

Ok. Let's do this.

Saturday boot camp. Check.

Saturday date day with the hubs. Check.

Saturday date night to a St. Patty's Party. Check.


Home by 10:00 with ice on my arches, hot tea with lemon, and no pants. Check.

Sorry.................no picture for this one.

I treated this run like it was a race day. I laid out the exact clothes I was going to wear. I set my alarm and checked that it was set 58 times. I could feel that anticipation, fear, excitement mix in my gut that goes with a big race. I knew I had to get at least 7 hours of sleep. I knew I had to eat and drink coffee an hour before I planned on running. I had my shit together. I was ready. And in true night before a race form................I slept like crap. 2 children slept in our bed. My St. Patty's Party going husband came home like a heard of stampeding buffalo. I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking I missed my alarm. Then again at 5:30. And again at 6:00.................................................Typical night before a race behavior minus the stampeding husband.

The day before I had checked the weather and knew it was going to be COLD.

And by cold I mean 6 freaking degrees.

6.



A friend had planned to run the first 5 miles with me but very wisely decided against it. But there was NO WAY I could not go. NO WAY. This was a really big deal to me. A big wall I NEEDED to get past.

I had a few things working against me before I even had my shoes on....and by a few I mean a lot....The 4 year old and 2 year old woke up with me at 6:30 so I had to make them breakfast and get them settled...Then the 2 year old needed some extra snuggles because he's the middle child and that's how he rolls.......So I sat down to snuggle him and eat my breakfast and drink my coffee and he snuggles in with his blankey and warm little body and that 6 degree frozen hell I was going to be in for 90 minutes was looking less and less appealing. Then the stampeding husband stumbles down the steps and assures me he has it all under controll and I should get ready.

I still didn't know my friend that was going to run with me had decided not to because we have SPRINT for our cell phones and usually about once a month we have NO FREAKING SERVICE FOR TWO ENTIRE DAYS because "They're bettering the service in our area."

You're idiots.

Anyways..........................It's a good thing I didn't know she wasn't coming because I really think I would have stayed snuggled on that couch with that warm little babe then been disappointed in myself the rest of the day. Not to mention the coffee did it's job by 8:10....We had planned on leaving at 8:00...I figured out she wasn't coming at 8:16. Really...It worked out perfectly.

I got dressed. Laced my shoes. Set my watch. And out the door I went.

The first song on my playlist is "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. It's been my jam all winter.

And at the 1/2 mile mark I was just that...frozen. So I had to do some crafty adjusting to my scarf and wrap it around my head so it covered my face and ears. Then I was golden. Or less frozen at least.

Then...I just ran.

It didn't matter that I had frost forming on my eyelashes, shoulders, shins, and the scarf that was keeping me somewhat warm.


It didn't matter that I ran past my house 3 times and could have quite at mile 5, 6, and 7.

I stopped to take a picture of this beautiful sunrise.



I cried 3 times along the way.

And I just. Kept. Going.

It was my absolute favorite run I have ever been on. And not a single reason why has anything to do with my time, pace, or distance. It's because I FINALLY conquered something that I've been physically able to do for months but mentally just couldn't push myself to overcome.

Now there were some serious physical accomplishments like running the same route I did the last time I ran 8 miles and cutting over a minute per mile off my time....................running mile 8 under 10 minutes..................oh and running 8 FREAKING MILES.



The most important part of this entire LONG post is: It doesn't matter if you're going for one mile, 8 miles, 13.1 miles, or 26.2 miles. You are SO MUCH STRONGER than you think you are. This is a battle I have fought throughout the past year and I will continue to build huge walls that I have to get over or just blow up entirely.........which is exactly what I mean whenever I say............................

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!

Left: Post baby number 3

Right: Post baby number 1 (man that little baby is CUTE!)

Don't ever give up.

Just.Keep.Going.