mindfirerunner

We look in the mirror, usually first thing every day, and are quick to notice all of our flaws. Our necks are too thick, our waists too wide and our derriere is too plump. We all have something we identify as our worst “asset” and twist our face in dissatisfaction. Then, we start making agreements with ourselves as if bound by some magical force that will absolutely, without a doubt, make us “be good” and stick to our diet and exercise plans…at least for today. Come on – admit it. (Ladies, even the guys do this. We are not alone.)

It’s time to change the way we think. It hasn’t worked for us so far, has it? So why not make a few changes and see what comes of it? First, instead of looking in the mirror first thing in the morning and starting your day by pointing out areas that you don’t like, find one thing (or more if you’re feeling ambitious) and focus on how awesome that one thing is. Accentuate it. Flaunt it. Show it off! No one has your same awesomeness. It belongs to you and only you so own it.

Think about what it is that makes that part of you awesome. Then, start expanding your awesomeness. You are going to have to do the work. Nobody else can do it for you. Days will turn into weeks and weeks into months, but your awesomeness will continue to expand if not for the sheer determination and drive that makes you the awesome creature that you already are. Keep in pursuit of your goals and remember that nothing takes the place of planning, preparation and basic hard work. Stay focused and committed to your health and well-being. Think about it – have you ever regretted feeling better and being healthier?

Watch out Captain Awesome ~ we’re coming for you.

****************************

Read Full Post »

I always say I want to win the lottery. My husband quickly reminds me that in order to win the lottery, I must first play the lottery. The same holds true for other things in life. In order to reap the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, you must first (wait for it…) eat healthy and exercise. What a concept. It’s funny that we expect to be healthier and look and feel better when we don’t put the work into it. We expect to be able to do something just because we want to and then get upset because we fail.

My son told us this weekend that he wants to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (he’s 12). Our reply was, “Great! Now how do you plan on preparing for that?”. He had to think for a while and then started talking about exercising more so that his body and mind were fit enough for the climb. He talked about learning how to rock climb and practicing by climbing 14-ers, and saving money so he could buy the tools and supplies that he would need in order to make the climb. It’s easy to say what we want to do, but a little more challenging to put thought into what it is that we actually need to do in order to see our wants and desires come to fruition.

You say you want to find the motivation to exercise and eat healthier. What are you going to do to prepare yourself for that? Here are a few ideas to get you started. Take time to make your own list and post it somewhere it can be a constant reminder. Planning takes practice, but the more you do it the easier and more natural it will become.

• Get feedback from others and learn from past experiences.
• Plan your grocery list and spend most of your time on the outside aisles where the freshest foods are at.
• Take time to cook healthy food and sit down long enough to enjoy it.
• Pre-determine what time of the day is best for your runs and then plan the rest of your day around it. 
• Ask for help.

All of these things require a little planning and preparation. Take the time to prepare your mind and body and stop wishing upon a star, because it might not be there tomorrow night.

Read Full Post »

Getting workouts in during the winter months for most is dreadful. I have not enjoyed this winter…AT ALL, but I’ve gotten done what I needed to only to be punished with an inflammed IT band. There’s nothing quite like being sidelined from running to ruin your day, week, month. It’s aggrevating, frustrating, depressing, just to name a few. Running in the early morning hours was the one thing I could give to myself and now I’m forced to sit it out and wait.

I knew it was bad last week when I couldn’t get my pace up and felt my leg and knee tighten and cramp up so badly it didn’t matter how many times I stopped to stretch, I couldn’t seem to shake it loose. No luck. I became that crazy runner girl sitting on the side of the road in Orlando screaming “Come on!” and crying her eyes out while cars zipped by, probably wondering what kind of psychotic episode was taking place. But I was in Florida and it was warm! I couldn’t lose warm running weather to injury. On my own accord (which is progress in and of itself) I took the next day off hoping that it would be better. Still, no luck. After reinforcement from my coach that I needed to take off a few extra days, I obliged. I thought to myself, “I don’t want to injure myself further and lose even more running time.”

I was able to run a few miles on Sunday and it felt great! No worries at all and I was happy to be back on the road. Then, Monday came and I felt it twinge again as I was running up a hill. Seriously? So, again I’m told to take time off and let it heal. As much as I want to get out on the road and run, I’m more worried about not getting better and having it become an injury that taunts me for longer than the immediate future. So I will put my selfishness aside for a few weeks and learn to take it easy. I’ve seen a massage therapist, scheduled an appointment with a physical therapist, didn’t run this morning (again, progress) and am determined to abide by this part of my training plan as much as I do the actual running part.

Am I pissed? You bet. Am I depressed? A little. But most of all I’m thankful for the feedback and advice that’s been given to me and I’m hopeful that I will be back on the road again soon.

So, here’s your running mantra for the next two weeks…

…run for me, ‘k?

Read Full Post »

It’s day two of the New Year and many of the New Year’s resolutions have already been postponed until tomorrow. Ah, the infamous “tomorrow”. The good thing is it will always be there…but it never arrives. So, it’s time to get real. Why do we always wait until the right time, which for many is still that non-existent tomorrow? We’re not being honest with ourselves. We’re not giving ourselves the truth we deserve ~ that today is the day that matters. You’re worth more than that. You’re worth the time it takes to plan a run, or get some quiet time to yourself. Why is it that we always wait for the perfect time? What is it exactly that makes…time…perfect?

I get it. Trust me. It’s hard to be honest sometimes because we have to tell ourselves things that can feel like a punch to the gut and can take the wind right out of our sails. Has someone ever told you something that was so brutally honest that it made you mad, yet at the same time grateful? Why do you think that is? It’s because the truth is so rare and hard to come by that it often times is welcomed and refreshing, yet at the same time we’re just really not quite sure what to do with it.

So, here it is ~ plain and simple. Stop lying to yourself and tell yourself you’re worth an hour a day when the other 23 are spent giving to the world around you. Are you listening? We tend to feel that we’re being selfish because we want to leave everything behind for a quick (or long) run, or a chance to spend alone with our thoughts, or some time to talk with friends and those we love. Responsibilities will always be there. We will always come back to them, but for now let’s get real and let’s be honest enough with ourselves and let those around us do the same.

Read Full Post »

Most of you think that motivation comes easily for me – as if I were super woman. I’m not. In fact, I struggle with finding motivation just like all of the rest of you. I just tend to push it into the back of my mind and carry forward. It’s tough and most people have no idea what I battle with day in and day out. I just make it look easy…somehow. I had one blog ready to post that I wrote on the plane ride, but just didn’t get around to it. Now as I’m sitting here with thoughts rambling through my head I’m trying to sort them into some logical reading material all the while thinking about whether or not I even want to post anything.

As I sat in an over crowded airplane heading to Orlando for Christmas with the family I was once again reminded by the flight attendants to turn off all electronic devices and use airplane mode once we were in the air. It reminded me of something that I need to be reminded of often…sometimes I need to go into airplane mode. I often find myself flying through life at the speed of light and have realized that I need to power down a little more often than I do. I mean this in many aspects of life; work, family, events and activities, running. We find ourselves moving faster and faster through life only to look back asking “Where did the time go?”.

In running I’ve found that the winter months are my “airplane mode”. It’s that time of year where I need to play it safe, stay healthy, and keep up good habits. It can be hard for me to power down. Some days it feels boring and mundane but I have to keep reminding myself that there’s a bigger goal in site. I also need to power down mentally. People cope with life, love, what have you, in a variety of ways. Sometimes we stay and fight. Sometimes we run away. We take our “cues” from the world around us.

It’s hard for me to stop and slow down and I’m okay admitting to that. For me, it’s easier to stay busy and not have time to sit and think or find other things to do. I will beat myself up if I don’t run when I know I should and that’s usually the biggest motivator for me, but I know that there are times when my body tells me “ENOUGH” – and I know that I need to slow down and hide away or find a quiet place to rest my body and sometimes my mind. I will make no excuses though. I will listen and live by no regrets. Sometimes it takes powering down to get the best out of life. Find a quiet place. It might not be easy, but it might be what you need.

Read Full Post »

It’s that time of year again when we all get ready to make our New Year’s resolutions. Most of us say we’re going to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise, etc. I gave this up years ago, but this year I’m thinking of  incorporating small changes that would benefit me mentally and physically. One of the things on my list for New Year’s resolutions (and currently the only thing on the list) is doing more yoga. I actually love doing yoga, but time constraints throughout my day and plain fatigue at the end of my day often lead me straight to bed rather than doing some pretzel-like yoga pose. So I thought I’d get a head start on my New Year’s resolution and do some yoga last night. With the addition of more snow to Colorado I knew I needed to work on flexibility to avoid injury while running on ice and snow.

This time of year is a struggle for most of us with trying not to gain those extra pounds. We put ourselves through this mental twister of guilt and justification from the week of Thanksgiving all of the way through the New Year. Essentially, a 12th of the year we’re spending our time trying to justify those extra calories and not exercising. So, are you up for a challenge? Get a jump start on your New Year’s resolution and work on incorporating the changes you really want to make a little sooner. We all have different things that are important to us. For some, a New Year’s resolution might be to spend more quality time with friends and family. For someone else, it might be exercising and eating healthier, but too often we sit back and wait for that perfect moment to do something. There is nothing magical about January 1st. Motivation is what gets you started & habit is what keeps you going.

Remember, it’s not who you are that holds you back; it’s who you think you’re not. Prove to yourself you can do it and go kick some ass. Namaste (and Merry Christmas!).

Read Full Post »

Yes. I just blogged a Star Wars quote. This morning proved to be a Yoda morning. With very little sleep due to a late night department dinner, I found myself looking for that “out” this morning. Actually, I was thinking about my out before the night even ended. Funny. But even though I was trying to find a reason to justify not geting up early and run I really couldn’t think of one other than lack of sleep. Honestly though, would one hour really make a big difference in how I felt the next day? So, when I went to bed I had two thoughts running through my head. Run, or not?

My alarm went off at 4:05AM and I hit the snooze button just twice this morning (a real record). I actually wasn’t even tired. I had a lot that could have stopped me from getting out the door (the dryer tried to blow up last night so all of my normal running gear was sopping wet, I didn’t get to bed until 11:30PM, it had snowed…again…) but I had already made up my mind the night before that I was going to get my run in. I set aside some different running gear before my head hit the pillow and was already mentally prepped for an icy run. I knew I’d have to slow things down to be safe and not slip on the roads. Things didn’t go as planned though; after all that effort to make sure I got up and out the door.

I was just a few miles into my run when I turned a corner, lost my footing a bit and felt a pull on my knee. Hmm. That felt not so great. I stopped for a second to rub and stretch it since it felt like a muscle cramp more than anything. I kept running and on the straightaways just felt like I had a muscle cramp down my quad and to the posterior of my knee. Not terrible. More annoying than anything else. Then, I turned the corner on the other end of the block and wouser did I feel that one. So, I stopped again and stretched, rubbed it and continued on. Things were fine until the next turn. You’re probably seeing a pattern right about now. I slowed down the pace and wrapped up my run, the whole time muttering and grumbling about my stupid knee and incredibly slow run. My body wasn’t cooperating the way that my mind was telling me to, and I was getting a bit cranky.

Even with the best mental preparation and game plan I had unexpected issues arise and derail what I was looking forward to as a great run. There are days when you just have to roll with the punches, and I was feeling pretty crummy that my run didn’t go so well this morning. I’m trying to look on the bright side that at least I got out the door. So Yoda, today there was no “try” – I did. Tomorrow, we might have to revise our game plan.

Read Full Post »

Denver Rock 'n' Roll October 2011

Read Full Post »