It’s that time of year where my input can potentially exceed my output – no more races, cold weather keeping me inside, and food galore. So in an attempt to burn off the sangria and homemade carrot cake, among other things, that I’ve indulged in the last two days, I got in a 3.1 mile run today. My time sucks (must be all this mac & cheese in my belly), but I did it.
A lovely day!
I stopped along the way to take in the beautiful day and snapped a few shots of things that I normally pass by. I saw an elderly lady tackling a hill on her afternoon stroll (I couldn’t flake on that hill after seeing that), a beautiful holly bush and how could I ignore what an incredible day it is. I feel amazing and ended my run with a smile.
Sometimes it’s overwhelming to think about everything I have to do in every part of my life, but when I break those things down into smaller tasks, mentally it all becomes manageable.
I’ve been slacking on my workouts here and there, but this is the first week that I followed my workout schedule completely. Two runs, one swim and a spin class down. I stopped thinking about my compete schedule and took things one task at a time. I feel great physically, but more importantly, mentally that I accomplished my goals.
After each triathlon season, I evaluate my progress: what I could’ve done differently or what I need to change to be better the next year. One thing always remains the same: stick to my schedule.
My current schedule is light because I also want to incorporate some much needed yoga and strength training in it. I think flexibility and muscle tone go on a downward spiral after 40.
I have a love-hate relationship with running. I feel at peace when I’m doing it and I can collect my thoughts for the day, but it’s my least favorite sport. I’ve come to the realization that I hate it only because I’m not very good at it, by my standards. It’s a Catch 22 situation for me – I don’t run because I’m slow and I’m slow because I don’t run.
It’s been two weeks since I participated in the Waterman’s Sprint Triathlon and I only ran three days. After a much needed pow wow with my triathlon mentor, who basically told me to get my arse moving, I made a mental commitment to run three days a week. No excuses. No complaints. The only way to get back to my peak performance level and exceed it is to just do it – often.
To motivate me, I asked my daughter to run with me, but since she had a cross country meet the next day, she decided to ride her bike to keep her legs fresh. We did three miles and I actually felt refreshed and renewed afterwards.
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