It's been a hot minute since I've blogged. But today...it a really really really really really big day.
I decided when school ended I was going to spend every.single.bright sunshiny day outside enjoying it with my 3 crazies. And that's exactly what we've done.
That doesn't mean I haven't been running or working out. I've actually fallen into a pretty great routine that includes equal amounts of running and cross training. I found it's really important to change up my workouts so I don't get burnt out on just running. Don't panic........running is still my first love. There is NOTHING like the feeling I get when I do something I never thought I could.
So my summer has looked like this......................
Pushing my almost 5 year old for miles on end...he's learned that we
1. Always stop for ice cream and
2. Run past one of his bff's house where he usually get's to stop and play while I then get to run without pushing 70 pounds of kid and stroller. It's a win win.
I ran a 27:05 5k WHILE PUSHING THIS NUGGET!! He's the babe that destroyed my body...When I stopped at the end of that run and saw my time I ugly cried. It was like I had finally beat it. What's it? I don't know exactly. When I was pregnant with Tyler IT made me think I would never get my body back. IT made me think I could never be a runner. IT....But I beat IT.
A lot of my runs this summer have been spend pushing children...and we often stop to sight see....There's been some big events going on in our little town! It's not every year a church gets a new steeple and a huge crane comes in to put it on!! I mean that's front page stuff!!
I've spent a lot of early mornings with some lovely ladies workin it out at bootcamp. We all get up before 5a.m...Whoever's turn it is to drive goes around and picks everyone up and off for an early morning ass kicking we go. It's so much more fun to go with friends...and the chance of me hitting my snooze button is much less when I know there's 3 other people counting on me being there.
I've sweat through my shirt a gazillion times.
I stop and admire my awesomeness on the reg.
More awesomeness admiration...............................................EVERYTHING IS AWESOMMEEEE!!!
I've done a couple long runs with a good friend doing something I never thought I would do..............TALK WHILE RUNNING... And by talk I mean solve the world's problems. All of them. If only everyone was as smart as we are....................................................... But even WHILE TALKING we ran 9:21/mile 6 miler. That's pretty freaking awesome. EVERYTHING IS AWESOMEEEEEEE
And on mornings we couldn't go to bootcamp because ALL THE ROADS TO SALINE WERE CLOSED. All of them. I swear.
We improvised and did an equally ass kicking workout right in her driveway. On the busiest street in our town. Like a boss. We got lots of honks.
Now with all my working out I've not exactly been focusing on my eating which has caused me to gain about 5 pounds. I've been TRYING INCREDIBLY FREAKING HARD to not beat myself up about it because I am still doing awesome things....................see above............................
But DAMNIT...I was 1 pound away from being able to OFFICIALLY SAY I've lost 50 pounds. Now I'm 6 pounds away.................................................Some of that is from added lifting heavy things to my workouts.
#sunsoutgunsout
And some of that is from simply not caring at all about what I'm eating.
#dairyqueenfordinner
You win some you lose some....But with what's coming up I know that number is not what my focus is going to be anyways............................
NOWWWW FOR THE BIIIIIIGGGGGGG NEWWWWWSSSSSSS
No.I.Am.Not.Pregnant.
Today is a day I wrote down in my calendar at 12:07 on January 1st 2014. I've been thinking about this day and what the next 12 weeks will be like for the last 7 months. On the scale of big events in my life this will rank right behind our wedding and the births of our children.
Today is the day I start training for THE DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON!!!!!!!
Oh Sarah...You're so dramatic...You've ran 2 half marathons now. This should be a walk in the park for you. You could go run a half marathon today if you wanted to.
You're right. I could. Because I'm awesome.
BUT It wouldn't be pretty. And the actual event is only a small part of what training for a distance race is about. It's the 200 miles I'll run over the next 12 weeks. It's the early morning workouts with the women that will be standing at that start line with me. It's knowing the person that crosses that finish line will be completely different on the inside than the person that starts training today.
What changes?
I'm stronger.
Mentally stronger. I believe in myself so much more. I don't let the negativity I used to deal with win.
I can.
And I will.
And I'll prove just how freaking awesome I am along the way.
My goals with this race are something I've struggled with. At first I wanted this to be my first sub 2 hour half. Being that my first half last fall was 2 hours and 41 minutes that's quite a jump! At my 25k this spring I crossed the half mark at 2:20....so 21 minutes faster than my last time running that distance..And I still had 2.5 miles to go...............for those bad with math............a 25k is 15.5 miles........................................
So what can I do? What should I do?
Those are two totally different questions.
What can I do? Absolutely anything I set my stubborn mind to.
What should I do? Train like a beast BY MYSELF for the next 12 weeks to reach my sub 2 goal or train like a beast for the next 12 weeks WITH MY FRIENDS and get as close to that 2 hour mark as I physically possibly can..................................................
Both have serious pros and cons. I am the type of person that genuinely enjoys being all by my damned self. It's quite. I can fart when I want to fart. I can spit when I want to spit. I cry without anyone else knowing about it. I promise I'm only talking about when I run...........................................................
But then this weird thing happened in my life. I made friends....that love me for me...and when we run it can be quiet and that's ok. Or we can solve all the problems of the world. I can fart and spit...even though they have yet to join in these super classy activities with me they don't judge me for it. And I can cry. And they will listen. And then they know me better...and understand me more.
12 weeks and 200+ miles of that seems like a lot more fun than doing it all alone.
So that's my plan. Train like a BEAST and have fun with my friends that are running it with me along the way. As we run our longer runs ... 8+ miles...I'll start to formulate a realistic time goal. I know I will be faster than 2 hours 20 minutes...the question is how much faster.
SO YAY FOR TODAY!! THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF TRAINING FOR THE DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And guess what...It's a rest day. BOOM.
Left: July 28, 2011.....2 days before Maxamillion made his grand entrance into the world.
Right: July 28. 2014....3 years...another baby...and countless miles later...
Just. Keep. Going.
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