Another one bites the dust.

Wow!  It is hot or what?  This crazy heat, humidity and heat index is about to drive this girl crazy.  Well, crazier than I already am.  Yesterday I got up early to get my run in before it was totally sweltering outside.  What a great morning, too!  It was almost cool with a breeze, perfect for running.  Only I wasn’t mentally there.  I took off and about a third of the way through my scheduled mileage I just knew I couldn’t go any further.  It just wasn’t in me, mentally.  I know I could have “gutted it out” physically but when you aren’t there in your mind you might as well call it a day.  I was disappointed in myself but decided I was just going to chalk it up to a bad run day and give it another go the next day.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed.

This morning when my alarm went off at 4:30am I felt ready, ready to get out there and tear up the asphalt.  You see, I was mentally ready!  I dressed, stretched and got all my running toys/gear together.  Oh no!  My mp3 is dead. Big sad face!  I love running with my tunes in the morning.  It gets me pumped and helps me focus.  After a few seconds of woe is me, I realized I had plenty of tunes on my phone.  Whew….crisis averted. I’m off again.  Then just as my Garmin locates the satellite and I’m ready to start the LOW BATTERY signal pops up.  OH COME ON!  Really?!?!?  Again, I am saved by my phone and that great little app Endomondo.  Will I ever get all my ducks in a row and get this thing done?  I’m feeling great, ready to run and all my equipment is biting the dust.  Finally I am off and what a great run.  I felt fleet of feet, focused in mind and spirit and like I could easily conquer any obstacle before me.  That is a great run!  When I finished my scheduled mileage I felt like a million, albeit sweaty, dollars.  *fist punch in the air* 

What running means to me.

Running means many different things to different people.  As I’ve stated many times before running gives me a huge sense of empowerment.  When I have a good/great run I am mentally strong, feel great and able to go on and tackle any task with self confidence.  Running has also given me a physical strength that I’ve never known before.  I’ve always been stronger than you would imagine by looking at me but now I also have the strength of endurance.    

Onward and upward!

This morning while all my equipment seemed to be biting the dust I realized something else was biting the dust, too, the old me.  Yesterday I had a really “hot” guy tell me that I looked great and he was really proud of me and all I had accomplished.  For once, I took a compliment and thanked him.  Usually I pooh-pooh any and all compliments away but I decided I was going to embrace that one.  I’ve worked hard to improve my mental and physical self.  I actually like myself these days.  Sure, I need to work on and improve more but that is OK.  I still have some weight to shed, I need to see myself as I am now, not how I was 70+ pounds ago and I need to have more confidence in myself.  But all those things will come in time.  I continue to run and it continues to empower me.     

On my RoadID I have a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that says:  Bid me run and I will strive with things impossible.  One of my friends teases me and says only I would/could understand that quote.  But I think if you read it again it will be plain as day.  When I run I realize anything is possible. 

Bite the dust, old me, anything is possible!