{thoughts.on.running...}

i think i may have forgotten to mention the small fact that i actually RAN A 5K!!?!  

yes.  that's right.  ran the whole thing.  no walking.  finished in 31:56.  this is huge folks and here's why...  my whole life i've made up excuses that i just wasn't a runner and never could be.  that's a lie and yes, i believed it for years until my friends decided to take it upon themselves that we were ALL running a 5K together and no one was allowed to back out.  i'm forever grateful.  i trained for 7 weeks and on week 8 got bronchitis which put me out of training for 2 weeks and i totally freaked out.  that's life.  i was however able to squeeze in 3 runs before our big race day, but i was NERVOUS that i wasn't going to be able to run the entire time!  needless to say i prayed A LOT and was SO pleased as i crossed that finish line running beside my best friend e.  let's just say there were tears of extreme JOY!!

BUT... i did want to share some of my honest thoughts on running because it wasn't all kittens and roses.

:: running is no joke.  it is hard.  you have to decide that you are going to do it, put on your shoes, and walk out the door.  there will be days when you don't want to run at all, but you HAVE to stick with it ::

:: i've also realized that a HUGE part of running is a mental game and it requires a lot of mental push.  example ::  that little voice inside your head you hear that says "you can't do this and you definitely can't run any farther, you really need to just stop now," is what you have to mentally push through.  i read somewhere that "if you're not passing out or dying, you CAN go further"  yeah, yeah, that may be extreme, but it's true.  i 100% believe in listening to your body and if something hurts like something is seriously wrong, then yes, stop, but most of the time it's not that at all if you train correctly ::

:: running has taught me that i really don't like pushing through that hard stuff.  not. at. all.  i'm totally the one that wants to finish and give up, not just in running, but in a lot of things.  dumb.  i've learned that by pushing through when it's tough, hard, and you want to puke is where the beauty and reward is ::

:: if you want to run to change your body for the better, it still is going to take a while.  it's taken about 3 months for me to start seeing real changes in my body.  i still have a ways to go and that's a whole 'nother blog post about operation weight loss phase 2, but we will save that for another day ;) ::

::  the end is the reward.  there is an awesome feeling of working your body harder than you ever have before and i LOVE the end of my runs.  the best part is quitting and beginning to stretch and feeling like you've conquered the world.  i love feeling the accomplishment of finishing a run ::

:: running definitely equates to a healthy prayer life :)  i find myself asking God to carry me A LOT.  the awareness i can find asking for Him to strengthen my legs, my lungs, my heart, my feet, and having an awesome awareness that my body is a gift and that running is a living sacrifice of my body is such a gift and a great reminder that i am blessed ::

:: running has been a gift to my confidence.  i feel like if i can complete a 3 mile run, i can do anything!  it's amazing what working out and pushing your limits can do to the rest of your life!::

sooo... all that said, if you have ever thought about running and haven't given it a try, i say JUST DO IT!  there's no time like the present!  

challenge yourself, push yourself, and see where it takes you!!

{happy.running}

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