Runner Girl

13.1 miles. That’s how long a half marathon is...holy cow! If you sit and think about it, that is a long way to run. Somehow, my smart butt decided to sign up to run one. I had no idea why I felt the need to train for and run a half marathon, but I’m finishing it. I am not just running a half marathon either.  I am breaking through the negative self-talk I once told myself when my goals or dreams seemed too big or too daunting.

There are two foundation principles I now choose to live by: 1) when you set a goal you should finish it and 2) everyone needs goals. Goals are great accountability partners that foster discipline. For me, I am setting a goal of running my whole race without stopping to walk. It might be a small goal to someone else, but to me it is a huge achievement. 

That is why I am writing today. My half marathon training has not been an easy journey. I have days when I don’t want to wake up early, other things I would rather do, and even days when I just simply hate the idea of running. Guess what? I still show up regardless of my immediate feelings, because exercise and goals are important. I am a big fan of exercise and daily movement. I personally think it is important to move your body daily in a way that you enjoy. I am also a fan of body and mind connection. It is super important to listen and connect with your body. I have learned so much through this marathon training about my body and what it needs vs what it doesn’t. When you find what exercises and eating habits click for you, it makes it 100 times easier to live a balanced lifestyle. I struggled for a long time with binge eating and longer workouts to make up for the massive amount of calories I was eating. It was also a struggle to find the motivation to just move my body. I didn’t know it at the time because I have constantly been in sports throughout high school, but motivation is a common struggle for a lot of people who want to make exercise a daily habit. Some people just don’t enjoy it - I get it, but motivation comes and goes with any area of life. Instead of focusing on motivation as a deciding factor if I exercise or not, I decided to focus on consistency. Unlike motivation, consistency stays the same. You aren’t going to always have motivation to exercise and eat healthy but if you make it a habit and focus on consistency, it becomes easier. The more I said yes to consistency, the more motivated I was. Once I figured that out, the game changed. I changed my perspective on food and working out and now I LOVE IT! 

I can’t imagine where I would be if I hadn’t come to the realization that this is my life and my body and I am in control of what I feed my mind, body, and soul. Our perspective of all situations in our life determines the outcome. During my marathon training, I have to switch the perspective of HAVING to run to GETTING to run and in order to reach this amazing goal of saying “I did it! I ran 13.1 miles!” I shifted my heart and mind from a state of discontentment to a state of gratitude. 

Now, let’s talk about nutrition. Over 80% of your health is what you eat. I know that there are a million different diets and companies that will try to tell you what is best for your body, but here is the thing...WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT!!! What works for one person may not work for someone else. Listening to our own bodies and what we need is essential. Personally, I am a carb lover; however, I know as a long distance runner I need healthy fats and protein. If I ate carbs all the time, I would feel tired and sluggish. Overeating in any one food group does not balance all the needs of our body, especially when you are trying to run 13.1 miles. I have also learned through long distance running that oxygen is at a greater demand. As I was starting my training, anytime I ran 3 or more miles my fingers and toes would numb up and contract. I did some research and tuned into what my body was telling me through these signs and symptoms to correct the problem with trial and error.  My solution to this problem - beet juice. Beet juice has iron and magnesium which helps produce red blood cells which carry oxygen throughout the body. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my running performance since using beet juice. The old me would have gotten discouraged with the setback. Instead of falling into the old habit of focusing on the things that weren’t going well, I decided to be aware of what was happening. I did not allow negative thoughts to consume the awareness, and I used my energy to find a solution. 

I know on paper what I wrote about today seems simple. Shift your mindset. Set habits that grow you and show your discipline. Have a grateful heart. That’s my advice for this post. I challenge everyone who reads this to grow themselves. Set a goal, make habits that align with who you are and your goal, and shift your thinking to make that goal come true. Listen to your body along the way and fall in love with the process of recreating yourself - it makes everything way more enjoyable! :)