Fit Lit Chat: Keep the Connection

I have hit a rough patch in my training. It seems that I have developed terrible shin splints, which is not something that I have really ever had to deal with before. I've tried rest, ice, stretching, icy hot, and I just can't seem to shake them. This is normally the point where I'd give up on my goals that I set after achieving some success with my 10k. As some of you may have gathered, I tend to use books and articles to keep me motivated and informed. I did a Fit Lit Chat about a couple books that I used to keep me engaged in becoming more physically active over the winter. I have just started reading, Keep the Connection by Bob Greene. I never read Make the Connection, his first book, but I have already been struck by a point in this book, and I'm still on the first chapter.

"All too often, people attempt change without really knowing who they are, what they want or why they really want it." -Keep the Connection by Bob Greene

This concept has been plaguing me lately. I really want to invest in my personal health on the physical and emotional level. I made a slight career shift in order to reduce the stress in my life, which was also one of the reasons I took up running and yoga. Another reason I took up running, was to prove that I could do whatever I put my mind to, even if there were people who didn't believe I could do it. Maybe I could even say especially because people didn't think I could do it. Even with my successes and failures along the path to physical and emotional health along with my career shift, I still  find myself contemplating who I want to be and what I want to do. I always thought those questions had more to do with my professional life than my personal life and quest to better health. I see now how intertwined they are.


I recently saw this picture, and It is sort of how I feel when I run. When I am running, I do a lot of thinking about who I am, and I also feel like I can be anyone. I feel like I am still defining who I am. Even though I have committed myself to running, I know that there are still so many people in my life who view me as lazy or weak. I absolutely hate that am I thought of in that way. There are two other things that I know. 1) I am the only one who can choose whether or not I live the life of an active and strong person, and I mean strong both figuratively and literally. 2) I don't have to define myself by other people's opinions of me.

There is one more revelation that I'd like to share. I get to choose who I want to be. I get to choose if I am going to live an active, healthy, strong lifestyle, but the catch is that I have to choose and not just once. I have to make the choice to be active on a regular basis. I have to make the choice to let go of other people's ideas of who I am or who I should be. I have to make the choice to put my health before my immediate satisfaction sometimes in order to gain long-term satisfaction. I have to make lots of choices, and I have to make them every day. I have made bad choices in the past, and I will still make bad choices at times in the future, but the beauty is that when I make a bad choice, I can also choose to let it go and start moving forward again. I don't need to beat myself up, and I most definitely don't have to let other people beat me up. I will just remind myself of who I am and who I want to be. It is time for me to decide what I want, and why I really want it in order to attempt at some real changes.

When in doubt, bling it out!

Ok, so I will admit that ever since my fiance, Matt, and I moved in together, I have been telling him repeatedly that this is not a college dorm room. He of course doesn't see the need to decorate or any of that jazz, but I have broken my own decorating rule. I taped some things up on my closet door, and he doesn't know it yet, but I taped something up on his closet door too. I know that he will say something about the college dorm feel when he sees it, but I needed some motivation because I have signed up for my next race!

For those of you who don't already know, my last race was a disaster to say the least. You can read about that gem of an experience here if you haven't already. My sister wisely suggested that I take some time off from running, and I agreed that I should most definitely not run a fall half this year. I recently had a debate with Matt about whether or not I could run a 10k within a few months, and he thought it was crazy that I wasn't sure if I could do it. That got the wheels a-turning in my head. Then I got the final push when that same crazy, Anything for 10 and take a break sister, called and asked if there were any 5k's in the area during the weekend she is planning to come visit me in October. Well, I did her one better, and now she, Matt, and I are running the Runner's World Festival 10k. I am pretty pumped because I have never done a 10k in terms of an organized race, but I am also nervous since I have taken so much time off from regular running.

The nervousness is what spurred the college-like decorating spree in my room today. I had actually just written out a training schedule and inspiring quote I saw today before I talked to her about the race, and then once we made solid plans, I went super motivational on my closet so that I will hopefully be on top of my running to ensure a much better experience at my 10k than I had at my last Half. Here's what my closet doors look like right now.

I am one of those people who needs constant reminders and motivational tools to keep working toward a goal that I might not always feel like working toward or that I might have times when I doubt by ability to reach the goal. So right where I will see it every single day, I have hung my two half marathon bibs (top), a training schedule that I made myself and a quote that I need to commit to memory (top middle), three bibs from 5ks that were important to me (bottom middle), and my two half marathon finisher's medals (bottom). The quote just happens to be from one of the best experts at Runner's World. Bart Yasso, RW Chief Running Officer, once said said in an interview, "Don't ever doubt that you are a runner just because you are slow. I hear people all the time say, 'I'm not a real runner.' We are all real runners, some are just slower than others. I've never met a fake runner." I super love this quote because I am super slow! I have never been fast, and I most likely never will be, but I have made it to the finish every time, and that's what counts. And in  two months from today, I hope to be making it across the finish line of my first 10k, thanks to my motivation and determination.

Michelle's 4 C's of Health and Fitness

I am by no means a professional or expert in the area of health or fitness. This blog contains my stories, what motivates me, and second-hand knowledge from reading books about health, fitness, and nutrition. So today, I am going to share some rules to live by when it comes to health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. These rules can be applied pretty much across the board for all areas leading to wellness. Here are my four C's of Health and Wellness. I know this is a long one, but please be sure to read all the way to the end.

Consistent

None of the rest of these rules will matter if this one is not applied with diligence. We all know that there has to be a commitment to consistency, or your goals will never be reached. I know that I have not met my goals because I have not been completely consistent and committed. If you cheat on your "diet," you know that you are not going to lose weight, reverse a disease, gain more energy, or whatever it is you are trying to gain by following a certain "diet." Too many people think of diet as something that is temporary, but it is important to think of it as all things you consume in general. Be consistent. "Dieting" is not consistency.

When it comes to exercise, the same principal applies. You must be consistent. If you, or a trainer, plans a workout routine for your goals, you must be consistent. What good does a plan do if you only halfway follow it? What good is it to only go to the gym, or only workout, if you feel like it that day. Is it ok to take a day off if you are just really having a rough day? Sure, but that should be the exception and not the rule. The rule is consistency.

Challenging

Challenge yourself when you workout. Being comfortable will not result in progress. I have found that often, and sometimes unintentionally, I don't challenge myself. I start doubting whether or not I can run one more mile, or if I can make it to the end of spin class, or I tell myself that I don't deserve or belong in the weight room. All those things simply are not true. Do not underestimate yourself. You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. I know that because I have realized the same thing. And along with that, it is important to challenge yourself to accept that you are worth the challenge. 

Many of you have probably seen my Lesser of Evils post and think that I need to challenge myself in the area of nutrition a little more, and to that, I'd say you're right, but it is a process I am challenging myself through lesser of evils. This week, I switched out half of the lean beef in our dinners for ground turkey. I am taking on a series of challenges to form new habits. Nutrition is definitely one of my weaker areas, which is why challenging myself to try new things and learn more about what I put in my body and why, and  I am trying to dedicate myself to make it a priority.

Conscientious

Now, in my Lesser of Evils post, I also addressed that nutrition and diet should be made up of conscious decisions. Everything you eat has a 100% direct impact on your body. I think as a society, we both forget and deny that fact. Be conscious of what is going in your body because it will affect your health, well-being, energy levels, and so much more. It is also important to be conscientious of the food as it is consumed. Mindless eating has no place in a healthy diet. You are better than that. Be conscientious of your health. We as a society also often put things off until there is a problem. Be aware of how your body works and feels, and take care of possible health issues as soon as possible. Be on offense instead of defense, and start being proactive about your health.

I have been reading The Body Sculpting Bible, and I learned something that is so simple, yet very fascinating to me. When working out, it is important to focus on the work your body should be doing. If you are lifting weights, it is important to think about and focus on the muscle that a particular lift should be targeting to monitor whether or not you are targeting what you should be. In spin class today, I noticed that the instructor kept pointing out the same thing. She would say, "This jog should be working your quads," and things like that. I was then able to hone in on my form to get the right muscles moving. When running, I have also found that it is important to focus on what my body is doing. I know that it can be difficult when you feel like you can't go any more, but when you get to that point, it is time to focus on breathing and relaxing the parts of your body that might be tensing up and expending extra energy.

Cautious

Lastly, it is important to be cautious. Although challenging yourself makes change happen, pushing yourself to the point of injury or over training is never going to be advantageous. Paying attention to your body, while keeping your goals in mind, and being honest with yourself, is going to really help you be cautious when you're training or adapting to changes in your diet. Keep in mind that changes should be realistic and balanced between challenging and cautious. 

Happy Anniversary to Me!!

This is my one year running anniversary! It is so hard to believe that a year ago today I could only run about a quarter of a mile before I stopped to walk. I started keeping a running journal exactly a year ago, and it was mainly to keep me on track with training for a half marathon that I (probably) prematurely signed up for. So what has happened in the last year?

First Race
I ran my first ever organized race. I realized about a month before my first half marathon, that I should probably see what it is like running in an organized race. I signed up for a 5k in the small town I live in. My boyfriend (recently turned fiance) ran the race with me. I was well into my training, but it was not at all apparent. I had to walk a couple times during the race, and in the last mile, we got passed by some old people who were powerwalking. Also, and he likes to pretend I am evil, I sped up at the end to beat my boyfriend, and passed a 6 or 7 year old girl in the process...right before the finish line.

Half the Glory
I ran my first half marathon at the Kansas City Marathon and Half. I was not really at all prepared by the small town 5k filled with powerwalkers. I prepped for this race by starting from the couch. It was less than six months from the day I started "running" till I ran my first half. I got scared by an issue of Runner's World that was all about running your first half marathon because it said that you know you are ready to try a half if you have been running for a few years. I had barely been "running" a few months when I read that. It was long and hard, but I finished. You can read more about that in "The Background Story," if you have not already.

I will be running my second half marathon in just 10 days! I will be running with my brother and his wife, both of whom ran the first half with me as well. Go us! This will also be their second half marathon. And my sister who started us all on running will be back to run her third half marathon that day!

Research
I am a big fan of reading, so naturally, one of my first moves was to subscribe to Runner's World. I absolutely love the articles. So many of them are things I can relate to even in my short time as a runner. I love it! I also read Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running, Run for Life: The Anti-Aging, Anti-Injury, Super-Fitness Plan to Keep You Running to 100, and Faster Better Stronger. I loved all these books, and I am sure that I will be doing some running book reviews on here in the near future when I start my summer reading and summer running!

Journal
I didn't always write down my mileage, and there were times when the miles were few and FAR between. I also know that not all those miles were pretty, but in just one year...my first year...I have logged 271 miles! I am very proud of myself for setting out to get healthier, to get inspired, and to meet goals, which I feel like I have done!