A Runner's Rant

Warning: No Picture Post. Read at Your Own Risk

I am training for a half marathon. Two actually. My first. For me this is a big deal! I started my training feeling like an ice cream junky that has had two kids and doesn't actually want to be out running after she's been up a lot of the night with kids and chasing them during the day. I would get to the gym and after a half mile, I was shocked at my mind's desire to quit and lack of conviction! I wanted to stop and walk- all the time. It was in the early stages of training that my mind went through a crazy round of mental arguments, that I think most people deal with while they try to build a good habit. Half of my head deliberately hurt me! I can still hear my own voice in my head saying things like, "You don't actually like running. This isn't your kind of fun, and it doesn't have to be your thing. Not everyone is a runner and that's ok. You ran hard for 15 minutes, now go home and spend some time with your husband. kick back...." Talk about playing the adversary!! The weaker part of my mind would argue back, "You can do this. You gave birth without medication! If you can do that you can keep your legs moving for just another mile. Keep going! Don't stop! It's harder to start after you've stopped. You got this." This was the first week of my training. Ridiculously hard mentally. What surprised me most was that physically, I was not too tired or sore or over worked! So why is it such a mental strain? I am absolutely convinced that a "runner" is someone who has the mental strength and endurance to win the mental arguments inside their head. Now, on week 4 of my training, I have won that argument, and gained a new appreciation for the word "endurance". I have run further than I ever have before and almost entirely silenced the negativity in my mind. Dare I say I like running? And I love seeing results! I literally feel myself growing stronger and THAT makes it all so worth while! So here are a few things that I love about running now that I can call myself a "runner".
-I loved earning my running gear. The more I ran, the more I deserved a pair of new running shoes, a running shirt or pants. And I LOVE my shoes.
-I love running through Concord and its neighboring cities. Gorgeous, historical, colonial, city AND countryside scenery.
-I love entering my exercise into my "my fitness pal" app and watching the calories I ate that  day disappear.
-I love passing other runners. You have something in common! And when you smile and say hi as you pass, you feel like you can relate without even talking!
-I love finishing a 7-8 mile run and saying I ran the whole way, no walking, no breathers!
-I love watching my imperfections or the things I complained about disappear when I just do something to fix it!
-I love bonding with family or friends through fitness. I am running my first half marathon with my sister Stephanie in DC on September 14th, and am running a second with my hot husband and my dashing dad on Cape Cod in October! Family rules.
-I love being able to listen to hours of music! Sometimes I sing along a bit..loving Maroon 5.
-I love a little "me time" in a day. Running is therapeutic and helps alleviate pent up emotion.
-I love that running every day makes me want to eat healthier! (Though I do still indulge in a bit of ice cream here and there. Ice cream is therapeutic too. But that's a whole other post..)
-I love taking a cold shower afterwards! SO refreshing. Really.
-I love driving my routes later and seeing how far I went.
-I love using Map My Run to tell me my pace and distance so I can push myself or give myself new goals to reach.

Amongst other things, these are some of the pros to running. This last week I was unable to run for 4 days, and when you are training for a half marathon each day counts, so I was starting to feel uneasy and actually bummed out that I couldn't go run! It felt amazing to hit the streets again after those few days! And being in control of your body and accomplishing the goals you set out to meet- it's a rush. This 2013 year has been a year of setting and meeting goals, and each time I do, I want to do it again. So here's to meeting my half marathon goals! 2 in two months! I seriously can not wait. Who is this blogging? Yes, still me. The better me. I am becoming a better person! Highly recommend this to anyone. Even if you don't love running, you'll love how you feel afterwards!
I'll be updating my blog a bit better, and will include pictures of some of our latest :)