Maybe days like today are good for me in the long run. It was a frustrating day, culminating in me cussing and swearing under my breath about one particularly pig-headed attorney, and all of humanity in general. Fighting battles on every front, I come home to spend another hour doing paperwork. How could this day get any better?
Let me tell you how. After the kids were down for the night, I changed my clothes and set the treadmill timer for one hour. I ran forty-five minutes last night, and just wanted to see how much more further I could go before nearing collapse. Started okay - spaced out thinking about this one case, got fired up AGAIN over the conversation with opposing counsel, went over a million possible responses in my head, and counted the songs on my Ipod, all while trying to remember to breathe evenly, and not push myself too hard for fear of an injury - got kinda bumpy in the middle because I wanted to check the timer but did not want to know - and then it was over! Five miles in one hour - a new personal record for both time and distance! And I have my pig-headed opposing counsel to thank for at least two miles of that ~ reliving that argument took my mind of my run/the infamous timer/ect.
I definitely feel better than if I had just gone to bed irritated. I hope I can get into a habit of running when I am frustrated - I have definitely had some less positive responses in the recent past (eating comfort food being the one that jumps right to mind), and I highly doubt my work will magically become less stressful at any point in the foreseeable future. Well it is time for my shower ~ and maybe one more victory dance past my treadmill :o)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Overcoming the excuses..
Yesterday was a long day, even by my standards. Five hours of driving, three hours of work ~ all to come home and pass by the treadmill on my way to my office space. I tried to rationalize taking another day off from running - it was already nearly nine pm, and I would have to change my clothes. There was nothing good on television and I barely got any sleep the night before.
And yet, in spite of all of that, I knew what I had to do. So, I set the run for 45 mins and made myself promise not to look at the timer (I usually put a towel over the display anyway). I could tell when I hit three miles. I could literally feel it ~ and it flew right by! It's all downhill from there, because that meant that I was nearly done.
Just fyi: I actually googled "sweating while exercising" last night. I figured a person would sweat less as their body adjusted to regular beatings, runs, and other general forms of exercise. Apparently, it is just the opposite. An athlete will sweat more because their bodies are actually more efficient at keeping cool. I wonder if that means that as my body becomes more efficient, my face will become less red after my runs? Right now, I look like a beet when I am done!
Back to my run ~ I cheated and checked the timer. Still 8:10 to go, ughh. I figured that was three songs on my Ipod and used that to ignore the clock. Sure enough, I finished up in the middle of the third song.
My goal for this week is five days of running - a total of 20 miles for the week. My first week of training: 13.8 miles. My second week of training: 9 miles (what a crappy week that was). Now, I am aiming for 20 miles.
I also need to get started on my fundraising. I have set up a Facebook group ("Race to Las Vegas to cure Crohn's disease and Colitis"), a Twitter account, and my activegiving.com website. I have been holding back on fundraising to make sure that I was going to be able to do the training. I am in week three and holding steady, so now it is time to combine my physical energy with my passion for a great cause!
And yet, in spite of all of that, I knew what I had to do. So, I set the run for 45 mins and made myself promise not to look at the timer (I usually put a towel over the display anyway). I could tell when I hit three miles. I could literally feel it ~ and it flew right by! It's all downhill from there, because that meant that I was nearly done.
Just fyi: I actually googled "sweating while exercising" last night. I figured a person would sweat less as their body adjusted to regular beatings, runs, and other general forms of exercise. Apparently, it is just the opposite. An athlete will sweat more because their bodies are actually more efficient at keeping cool. I wonder if that means that as my body becomes more efficient, my face will become less red after my runs? Right now, I look like a beet when I am done!
Back to my run ~ I cheated and checked the timer. Still 8:10 to go, ughh. I figured that was three songs on my Ipod and used that to ignore the clock. Sure enough, I finished up in the middle of the third song.
My goal for this week is five days of running - a total of 20 miles for the week. My first week of training: 13.8 miles. My second week of training: 9 miles (what a crappy week that was). Now, I am aiming for 20 miles.
I also need to get started on my fundraising. I have set up a Facebook group ("Race to Las Vegas to cure Crohn's disease and Colitis"), a Twitter account, and my activegiving.com website. I have been holding back on fundraising to make sure that I was going to be able to do the training. I am in week three and holding steady, so now it is time to combine my physical energy with my passion for a great cause!
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