I find it funny that my blog has developed so many little avenues, based on the things I've become obsessed with. This summer seemed as if life were just passing me by- now I have landed on the other end of the spectrum. Since I have a totally 24/7 alterable schedule I literally have no excuse not to exercise every day, eat everything right and sleep a good 9.5 hours every night. Do I exercise each day? Nope, not every day. Do I eat right? Monday-Friday, yes. Saturday? No. Sleep well? oh, yes. That's the one thing I do accomplish. I definitely get my full 9 hours each night, and I am soaking in all the hours I can get. I realize that come January (or whenever I begin a full-time job), I will not be getting 9 plus hours a night, so I am thoroughly enjoying my open-ended schedule while it's here.
It's so exciting to write that I've actually become a runner. No, not a marathon-runner (yet), but a runner. I have built up my endurance levels, and am actually able to squeeze out a few miles before feeling achy. In previous runs I would feel my legs beginning to tingle and kill me within the first .50 miles. Now I can make it to about 2.5 miles at a steady rate, 3.5 milesand higher if I pace myself and don't get too impatient. My hardest hill to overcome has been/ is patience. Even if I'm listening to music, watching television, or just staring straight ahead, I'm always thinking of a million errands I need to run, someone I need to email or some place i've got to get to before they close. I haven't learned to turn off my brain yet. While running feels wonderful and sweating out all those nasty toxins leaves me so refreshed and happy, my natural inclination is to stop. Good job, I tell myself, now go reward by resting for a bit. Clearly I've got a bit farther to go on the mental front of running.
I run on a treadmill. When I usually tell outdoor runners this, they stare at me with a dropped jaw. yep, I said treadmill, not dreadmill. I used to be a firm believer in the elliptical, but one day it hit me that I was just playing around and not really getting down to business, that's when I jumped on the treadmill. Back to the treadmill story.. I do the treadmill because I don't like running outdoors alone. I'm extremely paranoid and anxious and I'd drive myself crazy if I ran alone. Even in a neighborhood. I do run outdoors with my fiance´ sometimes. We like running at parks and downtown, but his pace is far faster than mine. I dislike slowing him down, and he dislikes leaving me in the dust, so it's usually better if we run separately! I really have gotten used to the treadmill and like that I can see my miles tick off as they go. It's a motivator seeing how close I am to the finish line. I set constant little goals for myself as I run, rewarding myself with slight decreases in my speed to rest a little.
I am 4 days away from my first 5-K race. I'm a little nervous, tiny bit excited, and I'm constantly praying that the weather isn't freezing. I hate running in cold weather. I will definitely move more slowly if the weather feels icy that morning. Even though the race is yet to come, I feel like I've already won it and gotten first place. My goal was to finally kick my butt back into shape after an over-exhausted schedule of too much work, tiny bit of play, and zero care for my body. I've flipped that standard entirely. I am in the healthiest shape I've ever been. Aside from losing 4 pounds of extra weight, I've toned up and feel so much stronger than ever before. I am more energized. I'm even healthier mentally. Those sinful cravings for disgusting but so yummy fast food joints are slowly diminishing as I'm teaching myself to love healthier foods instead. My lifestyle is changing.
I've already begun working on my 2012 New Years Resolutions, and these are very different than last years. My perspective has changed drastically throughout the past year, and I am filled with excitement and anticipation for the 2012 year.
No comments:
Post a Comment