Runners High

I can now say that I just experienced the runners high to the extreme. Besides loving being outside and running, I ran over a mile without stopping! Now I know that is no huge feat to most runners lol, but for me it was a HUGE moment :)!

Let's start at the beginning. When I first started my run I was TIRED, and my body was yelling at me to quit just after the first 45 seconds. That was tough, really tough. Running is so much of a mental game as it is physical. If I had not forced that voice out of my head and kept saying to myself I CAN DO THIS then I would've quit and walked feeling defeated. The old me would have done that in a heartbeat, simply because I did not have the motivation and had no idea how running really made you feel. I always took the easy way out and was afraid to push myself and to have something be HARD. Now I've done some pretty HARD things in my life and they have been the BEST things to ever bless my life. Looking back I really appreciate pushing through the hard times because they made me stronger. I would not be who I am today without all my struggles. So why was I SO afraid of running? It literally made my stomach go in knots and I would panic at the idea of running. I used to think ok people run for fun?? REALLY?! Lol all I can say now is that you will NEVER know unless you JUST GO FOR IT! I'm seriously taking baby steps and it is BY FAR the most rewarding hobby I have ever tried. I see progress with my weight loss, I have A LOT more energy and I am just HAPPY ALL THE TIME :)! Yes, running is hard but it is worth every step, every drop of sweat and the burning in your legs...its A-MA-ZING. So its official I am HOOKED and I couldn't be happier!

Now back to my run today lol.... After I got out of my head and just focused on my run things went so much better. In between songs when it was quiet I focused on my breathing, which I don't do nearly enough. Sometimes I tend to panic when I can't get a deep breath and I am reminded of my days as a kid with asthma, but if I relax and just focus on slowing down my breathing then its smooth sailing. Today a miracle happened and I actually had a rhythm with my breathing and my running. I felt so in sync with my self, lol if that makes sense. I know that is why I was able to go 1.3 miles without stopping once. Also I did not look at my GPS a million times to see how far I have gone(I have a BAD habit of doing that. It can be very distracting and discouraging SO I don't recommend it) I just held my phone in my had and did not look at it until I walked for 1 minute. I was so EXCITED when I looked down and saw 1.3 on it. I about jumped for joy! I have been so upset that I couldn't even run 1 mile without stopping for a minute. So I was just so ecstatic to see that and that gave me the motivation to run the rest of the way home which was .8 miles. So I got a total of 2.1 miles in this morning :). Also I took 3 minutes off my time from yesterday and I even had to slow my pace so I wouldn't wear myself out too fast. Lesson learned here today...NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF!

Seriously though baby steps. I admire the people who can jump right in and run long distances in no time flat, but for me it is a journey and I am definitely enjoying the ride :).

Photo I <3 to Run

See you here tomorrow!