1000 Ummmm Er....500 Miles In 2011

I finally have started running again.   I stopped for awhile. I stopped for four months.

Now I will officially be on the wrong side of the depressing statistic, “that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions will be completed.”  Boo.

I am not really surprised at myself.  I go through various phases of being in shape ….and not so in shape.  It’s no secret that I am hopelessly addicted to unfinished projects.  I even blogged about it once.

Back in June, I decided enough was enough, and I went out for a short 2 miles.  My fat cells screamed the whole time, but I did it…….and that “runner’s high” gave me the tiniest pat on the back when I was finished.

Gradually, I worked up to three miles, then four, until last week I finally did a 6 miler.  It really doesn’t sound like much, but considering the I-never-want-to-run-again-for-the-rest-of-my-life mindset I had adopted in February, it is pretty good progress.

In an attempt not to burnout again, I am setting some new goals for myself.  First off, I am slowing it down a bit. 

Instead of getting mad at myself when I don’t go faster and longer, I am simply putting one foot in front of the other until I get to the finish.

Secondly, I am resting more.

(This says, “Stop for traffic.”, in Japanese)

At the beginning of the year I took on too much too fast.  My knees hurt, my shins hurt, and my hip was begging me to stop.  I have finally figured out that listening to my body isn’t following the voice in my head that says, “Ummmm, it’s sort of hot outside this morning, do you really want to go on a run?”  (That’s laziness talking.)  It is more like being able to FEEL your body telling you it has to heal and letting it take the time to do the healing.

Finally, my third goal is to set new goals…..and I am aiming high.

My new goal is 500 miles in 2011.  I love this quote….. “Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.”  In other words, I would rather make a goal and not quite reach it than, never make a goal and not accomplish anything.

What goal are you going to set today?

*The pictures in this post were taken on my usual running route on our Air Force base in Japan.  Can you tell I love my new smart phone and photo editing apps?

1000 Miles in 2011 - Day 38...I Think

It’s funny how the mind wanders when one exercises.  A half an hour of running and suddenly, you’ve sorted through the most of the world’s problems.  Well, at least the problems in your own world.

Today, I started out a little stiff from that Chuck Norris roundhouse kick I tried a few weeks back, and my chest was burning from the crisp, cold air blowing around me.  But after about three or four minutes, Hannah Montana (of all people), had me running a nice easy pace…….and my world started to make sense.

Here is what went through my mind today in four miles….

1.     Is she a Crip or a Blood?  My perfect honor roll student got called to the counselor’s office this past week with her friends because they all decided to wear purple on Thursday. They were informed that this is considered a form of gang activity and bullying and it would not be tolerated.  She came home hysterical because she thought she would get into trouble and it ruined her fun Friday.  I had to calmly explain that it would have been fun to have a purple day and that I knew she wasn’t being bad, but that we had to follow the school rules because some people could possibly take it too far.  Then, I piled my three girls in the van and we all went down to get matching tattoos like the Japanese mafia.

2.     Carbs.  I thought about carbs while running.

      I started the Atkins diet plan eight days ago.  I can’t have any carbohydrates other than what you get from green vegetables for six more days…..and even then I can only add nuts, berries, and cottage cheese. It says on the Atkins website that my carb cravings would lessen over the first few days, but I bet Dr. Atkins doesn’t have a box of Thin Mints on top of his fridge, a can of Pringles in the pantry, and a Tombstone pizza in the freezer.

3.     I thought about God and I prayed.  This often happens when I run and I am not sure why.  Maybe it is because there are moments on my run that I don’t have to think about anything except putting one foot in front of the other.  I am breathing fresh air and the sun is on my face and I just feel close to Him.  It is these moments that I have held my hands up thanking Him for my blessings and I have also cried out to Him to answer my prayers….and I know He is there. It sounds crazy typing that out here, but it is my own little moment with Him, and I love it.

4.     I hate bodily fluids.  Usually I get mad somewhere along my run because I pee my pants a little bit.  Hey, I have had three babies so give me some slack.  Today, I stayed dry but my nose was running faster than I was.  It was gross and of course I didn’t have a tissue.  Some people do that “snot rocket” thing but I KNOW I would just snot all over the front of myself.  I had to use my sleeve.

5.     Finally I had about a half of a mile to go and Van Halen came on my iPod and started singing, “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, and my thoughts went straight to my husband….who will be home in 21 days……and I miss him.

  Dumb love songs.  Where is Megadeath’s “Appetite For Destruction” when I need it?

So that’s it.  That’s what went through my brain mixed in with, “oh geez is this ever gonna end?” and a few more carbohydrate hallucinations.  I am now back on track.  My daughter is not in a gang, I can have 3 strawberries in 6 days, Jesus loves me, my coat can be washed, and my husband called just a few minutes after I got home.  Nine hundred and fifty some miles to go!