Run Day 14 ~ Conquering my Wimpy Tendencies

So I have figured out that I have wimpy tendencies. I've had it all my life, really. As a child, I remember guitar lessons that I was excited about, only to quit when it got a little bit hard. When faced with just about anything hard, I gave up all too easily if there was no one to push me.

It is the reason I am still not at my goal weight. I always want to take the easy route, what's convenient, so I give up on tracking my calories, and I often don't want to go through the trouble to fix a healthier meal, so I wimp out and have something more convenient and less healthy.

To change something, you must be willing to get uncomfortable for awhile. When you're in a certain zone for awhile, you get comfy there, kind of like being in bed all cozy when the alarm goes off. Staying there is easy and comfortable, sure, but you have work to do, things to accomplish, so you make yourself get out of that comfort zone and get going.

I decided yesterday morning that I wasn't going to wimp out on my run when it got a little hard. My daughter was in school and I was stroller-less, so I had it easier. After only about a half-mile, I wanted to stop. But I told myself No. This time I pushed myself and gave myself a pep talk. I had read about one woman's plan to run in a 100-mile race and was so awed by that. I told myself, "If she can run 100 miles, then you can run a measly 3.1 miles with no problem. And today, you can run at least one mile again without stopping." So I pushed myself, and felt myself get stronger and suddenly, it was easier to run again.

I ran nine tenths of a mile (which I thought was one mile at the time), took about a three-minute walk break, then ran another six-tenths of a mile, sprinting the last 100 yards or so. My hamstrings and shins were yelling at me by then, so I decided I had better call it a day and walked the rest of the way home. Foam rolling and stretching will be a must for today, as I am still really feeling it in my hamstrings. Which is a good thing, it means they're getting stronger.

Today if you are faced with a seemingly monumental task that threatens to overtake you, tell yourself to be strong, face it head on, and push through. For me personally, I love having quiet time first thing in the morning where I read my Bible and pray, it is where I draw my Source of strength from.

Don't "just do it." Do it with strength, and do it well.