Marathon Roulette

I realized during this past week that I am not at all ready for this marathon. The combination of wedding planning, traveling, getting married, and changing jobs seems to have put a damper on my training. My wedding was amazing, and I love my new job, but my training has been a bit neglected. When I saw a short article on the Route 66 Marathon in my Runner's World I finally just got around to reading, I got seriously sick to my stomach. For a variety of other factors, it was becoming more likely that Route 66 just wasn't going to happen this year despite my signing up almost a year ago.

The bottom line is that I am not ready for this marathon. Has that ever stopped me before? NO! My original goal was to finish a marathon before I turned 26. I made that goal immediately after finishing my first half marathon. After watching my grandma gracefully endure the losses she experienced due to ALS, I decided that I would spend 2013 being thankful for all that I have. When my grandma passed away on my 25th birthday, I decided that I would raise money for ALS research as I trained for and ran my first marathon. My grandma was a fighter, and she believed in me at all times. I am going to stick to the goals I set for myself, and I am going to be thankful that I am able to do this in the first place no matter how slow I am. The catch is that as of yesterday afternoon, I am officially registered for the Philadelphia Marathon! I have one week less to get my butt in gear, but one week isn't going to make too much a difference in the long run. (Haha. No pun intended.)

I still need to raise $110 to meet my fundraising goal, and any help would be much appreciated! Check out my page if you are able to help!

To everything there is a season and a time.

I've been feeling fairly inconvenienced lately. I have been indignant almost when it comes to running lately. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time, and if I'm being honest, I haven't even been putting in as much time logging miles as I should be. Getting up early to run, going to work, not eating dinner in order to get in a solid night run, and then going to bed in order to repeat it all the next day has really been wearing on me. I feel like I can't do anything I want to do. Though the truth is that I feel good while I am running, and I feel better throughout the day when I've started off with a workout or run.

Today I was really able to feel the seasons changing. Granted, it is still a bit early for the changing, but it is happening nonetheless. The cooler mornings are allowing me to run a little later when the rest of my schedule allows, and I even saw leaves falling from trees today. They looked like bits of glitter shimmering as they fell to the ground, and it was absolutely, beautifully humbling. How can I be bitter about training when I get to witness this beautiful world?

When I went back out tonight, I was grumbling before I even got out the door. I didn't have water to take with me, I couldn't find my reflective shirt, I wasn't going to be able to go as far as I wanted to, and the list went on and on in my head. I played a podcast of an NPR program, and the topic of the segment just happened to be about helping others, which pretty quickly put me in my place. How can I be so upset about something I should cherish dearly? I ran past a nearby park, and I was reminded of how much fun I used to have running through the local park at night like a maniac with a group of friends playing Army Tag. Why have I complicated and sucked the fun out of something I love? Running and being active are amazing gifts that I can choose to use fully, or fully take advantage of. The trick is that every day, I need to choose the fullness that I want in my life.

Live fully. Live on purpose. Be thankful.

True Beauty

Wow. Life really is amazing. Sometimes all a person needs is a leisurely walk on a beautiful morning to remind them how awesome this life really is. I have had a rocky week following my impromptu half marathon, with my busiest week at work so far this summer and the lingering weariness from a long run, but I knew that when I woke up this morning at 6 without the grumbling internal dialogue, that I was ready to have an amazing day. I took the time to sip my coffee slowly and really enjoy the moment, and I knew that instead of going for my usual long run today, I would benefit much more from a change of pace, literally.

I set out with the intention of going to walk laps around the nearby high school track, but when I got there, the chain was still on the gate. With the sun peaking out from the clouds and the crisp autumnal air awakening my senses, my eyes were opened to the beauty of the world around me. I resolved that 2013 would be my year of thankfulness, and with all the stress and craziness that has been surrounding me lately, I haven't been taking the time to look for the good and blessings in all situations.

I was reminded on my little walk this morning that it is all a matter of focus. I have not been practicing contemplative simplicity in my everyday life. And as much as I have been telling myself every morning to live on purpose, it seems as each day progresses, I let go of the purpose. I know that I am extremely blessed, and I am so thankful for all that I have been given in this life. God has been very good to me through his infinite grace. I am extremely thankful for the beauty of this life I have been granted, and I was reminded on my walk that I am also immensely thankful for the beauty of this earth that I am able to experience. I am thankful for my mobility because I know that not everyone is as fortunate, and I am thankful that I am able to experience all of these things one more day. We are never guaranteed tomorrow, so we need to be thankful in every minute of each new day.

2013: My year of thanksgiving

Ok, so I've been pretty busy lately. I haven't had a whole lot of time to post, and I haven't been able to think of anything that I should share since my workouts have been fairly uneventful. It is that time again to start Spring Half Training, but I managed to hurt my knee walking up an escalator last week, so I am hitting the stationary bike and starting my training a week later. I am the type of person who tends to let things like that really get to me. I have realized over the time that I have been writing this blog that my health involves more than just the physical workouts. I have to work on my mental and spiritual well-being in order to have a balanced life. Which is why I made my new year's resolution to make this my journey toward being a more positive person.



When I was home for Christmas, I told my Anything for 10 Sister about my intent to spend this year becoming a less stressed and more positive person. I also told her that I could feel a difference during the month of November when I did the Facebook Month of Thankfulness challenge in November. I could tell that when I spent my days focusing on what I could and should be thankful for, that things just seemed to roll off my back a little easier. She gave me the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp to read as I started my journey of thankfulness and positivity. I highly recommend the book to anyone looking to take a good hard look at their life.

I have been keeping a journal since January 1st of things I am thankful for. I am making a list of 1,000 things, big and small, both easy and hard things that I am thankful for. I spend a little bit of time each morning either before or after my workout looking through the list and spending time actually being thankful for the things I am so blessed to have and experience in my life. Obviously people don't  change over night, but I am slowly making progress, and I am thankful for that as well.

What's Up With Michelle?

Spring Half: 10th Annual Delaware Marathon Festival Half with my fiance Matt! Yay! Running with Matt is never dull. Thanks for running with me, Matthew! Training technically starts this week. Check out my training schedule!

Zumba for ALS: I have never done Zumba, but I am going to do a Zumba class on 2/23/13 because the proceeds go to the MDA Augie's Quest Campaign to fund ALS research, which many of you know is a cause close to my heart after my Grandma's battle with ALS. It is a nation wide partnership event between the MDA and LA Fitness. It is open to members and nonmembers, so if there is an LA Fitness in your area, then sign up now!

Personal Training Update: I will keep you in the loop as I get closer to my goals working with my personal trainer and in working toward becoming a personal trainer myself.

Marathon Madness: I am simultaneously pumped and terrified to run my first Marathon this fall with my Anything for 10 Sister, Grace, and one of my awesome cousins, Choppo! Tulsa, here we come!

Peacemaking

I am supposed to be training for a 10k right now. I even posted a 10k training schedule on here, but my life is sort of in a state of flux right now. There are so many things that have been thrown at me from different sides lately, and I have not been able to pin down any semblance of a routine or schedule. I am the type of person who needs a routine or schedule to stick to an exercise plan. I need to at least know the general time of day that exercise will fit into my day, but I haven't been able to pin down a time, and with all that I have been doing lately, I haven't made enough effort to make it a priority. This has really put a damper on my mood and my training.

I caught a break today, so I took some time for me. I slept in, caught up on my Tivo, and went for a short run. It was a beautiful morning, yet I found myself doubting my abilities basically from the first step. I had already decided that I would just do a 1.5 mile loop right by my house, so I knew that I didn't have far to go at all, but I just still felt negative about the whole thing. As I ran, I thought about how I ran two half marathons because people told me I couldn't, but then there I was telling myself I couldn't run 1.5 miles.

As I have mentioned before, my grandma has recently lost the ability to walk. She has, for my entire life, been the pentacle of independence, courage, strength, and  grace. My grandma has lived her life with a strong yet graceful dignity that I admire, and I know that I should always utilize the abilities I have because I could lose them at any time. I do value my ability to walk, run, and be active, so I know that I should take full advantage of those things.

I also realized how thankful I should be about my life in general. I live in a beautiful state, in a wonderful country, with my amazing fiance, and I have family and friends who love me very much. I am so lucky to have all of those things on top of my physical capabilities that I should not take for granted. If I don't take care of myself, then I could lose those beautiful things and wonderful people as well. I need to be in good health not just for myself, but also for those people who are important to me.

Needless to say, the irritation and pessimism I felt in the first steps of my run were gone by the time I got home. It is amazing all the things God, nature, and introspection can show you on such a short run.