Yesterday's Love Your Body challenge was Sunday Runday, complete a 5K. I first went on a hike because of the warm weather we were having and I logged 2 miles. The requirements of the TIU 5K are to get it done, anyway you can, so technically I only had to add on another mile to complete the challenge, but I wanted to do more. When we got back from hiking I knew that if I didn't go run right away I wouldn't do it! So I changed my shoes, grabbed my headphones, and headed to the gym. On Saturday I ran a mile and a half, so I told myself that I had to at least run that far, see how my body is feeling, and then push. I stretched for a minute, did a 2 and 1/2 minute walking warm-up [.15 miles] and then set my pace at a 6.0 jog. Sidenote: I have the Nike+ app which I love! One of the downfalls of treadmills is that even though it is set at a certain pace, it does not necessarily mean that is the pace of the runner. In my case, the treadmill had me at 10 minute mile when in reality I was running about a 9 minute mile. My iPhone was on shuffle and I started with "22" by Taylor Swift. I really like that song and I realized it is a good song for keeping pace so I listened to it 9 or 10 times in order to complete my run lol. I didn't want to stop and fix the playlist so every time the song was over I would open my phone and start it over =) I just kept running. I was pretty relaxed and actually enjoyed my run. My body wasn't hating me, it was just doing what it was supposed to do. Plus I had a TV on the treadmill that wasn't on and I could see my reflection which helped me keep my shoulders and head relaxed. It wasn't until I hit about 2.25 miles that I started feeling it and had to focus and motivate myself to get it done. The last 1/4 of a mile I kicked my pace up. Eventually I would like to be able to completely sprint that last part but I only sprinted the last .10 of my 3.1 miles. But I finished! No walking! It was such an empowering feeling and I was so proud of myself. I have never been able to just enjoy running and push through for that length of time.
Today I am letting my legs recover because even though it was just a 5K it was a big distance for me, but I am excited for my next long run. Now only if I lived near the beach so I could run on the boardwalk with an ocean view instead of on Kennesaw sidewalks ;) My other PR that I set was a 2 minute plank on Friday. Setting new plank times is one of my goals for 2013 and honestly I haven't been working on it that much. One of my #TIUsisters Erin M. can do a 10 minute plank which is beyond amazing! Right now my goal is to get to a 5 minute one. I need to focus and get a bunch of 2 minutes under my belt, then start increasing, but I am excited to do it!
I feel so accomplished and I am really proud of everything I have achieved and everything I am setting out to achieve this year. I am no longer scared of what I cannot do, I am determined to prove to myself what I can do. I hope that next time you are thinking about quitting and slacking off, you think of how accomplished you will feel when you reach your goal! It is so worth every minute your muscles are aching and your lunges are gasping for air, because the next time it will be a little bit easier. Things only get easier because you get better!
"Change is uncomfortable" - Karena & Katrina
Thanks for reading and I hope that I sparked a fire and motivated you today! You are worth it!
Love your food, love your body, love your life!
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