Do It Anyway....

Somebody is going to criticize what you do....Do it Anyway!

I ran across this quote today and thought how very appropriate it is. How often do we set out on a lifestyle change journey and well-meaning friends and family members and heck, even strangers sometimes, offer us advice on how we can do what they think needs to be done. They criticize our methods and our successes or failures. When I began my weight loss journey, I had friends tell me I was going to fail, others who insisted that lowering my carbs was not the answer and still others that insist I never had to do anything but lift weights for 30 minutes a few days a week. I even had friends and family members laugh when I told them I was training for my first half marathon. Personally, I am glad that I didn't listen. I did what I needed to do anyways.

Life is too short to listen to uninformed people telling you how you can live it best. And frankly, unless you have firsthand knowledge or schooling of what I am doing, I often don't find the advice to be anywhere near relevant!

One of the coaches I follow on Facebook posted this today....When others treat you with aggression and contempt, it is because they have realized that you possess certain qualities, which they are unable to attain in life. Keep on being you. Hatred meted out by others is just fuel to boost your success! (Coach Kendrick Ribiero)

I find this to be so true. I have decided to stop allowing others to make me feel bad about myself or cause me to second guess what I have going on because they are not able to do the same things. It does us no good in life to compare ourselves with other people. I could very easily try to compare my running with several friends of mine who run, but truthfully, we each come to the sport from different perspectives and different levels of expertise. So comparing myself to my friends will only result in frustration for me. Therefore, I use the same strategy that I do in my races....I take things at my pace. I do it anyways....in spite of the frustrations, irritations, naysayers. My success depends on me. In fact, I recently told Tripp that really the only acceptable failure is muscle failure. Of course, as a trainer, he LOVED that! But it's true. I use my fear and failures to fuel me to my successes. I use them as learning experiences. Am I perfect at this? No. But I keep moving forward. I keep striving. I do it anyways.

What are you letting get in the way of your successes? Who are you comparing yourself to? Are you letting criticism keep you from where you want to be? I urge you to stop allowing others to determine your success and failure. Seek out advice from people you trust who have been there before or have the knowledge and skills to help you in these areas. Don't allow other people's fears and negativities keep you from achieving or reaching out for your goals! Take all that negativity and frustration you are feeling and fuel your passion to achieve! You can do this!!

Dam Run 10K

Okay, here it is...my race report from my first race post-hip surgery. This is the race that almost didn't happen...for real. I got a stomach bug two weeks before the race which kept me from doing any mileage at all prior to the race. And to be quite honest, my mileage prior to this was pretty low each week. The stomach bug drained me and left me feeling pretty weak and tired. Not to mention, there is a great deal of fear that I have been dealing with since surgery and it all came to a nice frenzy on Friday!!

Friday morning, I was all out of sorts. I was terrified of the race and of my hip and of everything in general. I had read earlier in the day that if you did not clear the roads by 9 a.m. then you would be picked up by the shuttle and not finish the race. I was very nervous because I did not want to not be able to finish my race. I needed this finish to give me a bit more confidence about my other upcoming races. So, I ended up getting extremely teared up during training...enough that we had to stop training so Tye could go into pep talk mode. He understands where I am since he had surgery on his shoulder last year and has had some struggles trying to regain where he was prior to surgery. It was a good pep talk but still not enough to calm my nerves. I picked Chuck up and he promised me a nice kick in the butt for Saturday. Cathy also promised me a good kick in the butt too. But mentally, I was not ready for this race. I was a bit paralyzed by fears. My goal for race day was simple...finish the race. I wanted to finish this race and finish as strong as I could.

Saturday morning came too quickly for me. I did not sleep well. I got up and got myself ready. I tried to make sure that I had everything together and prepared for the race. I stretched and I kept trying to psych myself to where I knew I needed to be. This was much harder than I thought it would be. Cathy arrived and the three of us headed down to the dam to get our timing chips for the race and get ready for the start.

Before the Race
The race started at 7:30 a.m. We got in to position early. However, Cathy and I had expected there to be a strip for us to run over that would start the timing chip for accurate timing. There was not a strip so the fact that we started back further makes a difference in our times. I wish that I had worn my watch so I could have had a more accurate time. Anyways, we all started off and I had a pretty nice rhythm jogging from the beginning. It didn't take long before my shins and then my hips started to feel aggravated. I slowed my pace and then started walking. This was the first time I had ever thought of not finishing a race and I had not even moved past the first mile. This was not a good start for me. I was tired and mentally drained. I was hurting and I actually considered letting the shuttle pick me up sooner rather than later.

After I came through the 2nd mile and got my first cup of water, I was feeling a bit better but still worrying about the shuttle bus and where it was. I refused to look back and see what was behind me. I focused myself on the person directly ahead of me and trying to keep up with her (as much as was possible). During mile 2, I caught sight of both Chuck and Cathy ahead of me. They were doing awesome and I was excited for them! I had a little renewal of spirit and knew that I had to do the best I could because they would be waiting for me at the finish line. So, I continued to push through the doubts and fears and continued looking forward. At each mile marker, there was a person reading out the time to you...which was a huge help because I had a decent idea of where I was in my time. And I was so happy to see those water tables at mile markers 2, 3, 4, and 5!

As usual, I found a couple kindred spirits and chatted with a few of my fellow runners/walkers along the way. There was a woman who kept running ahead of me and then turning around and running back towards me. After the third time she did this, I stopped her and asked what she was up to. She was actually trying to get mileage in for a full marathon that she is doing in a several weeks. I also spoke with a young lady who had a similar stomach bug two weeks before the race and was feeling the same as I was about her endurance level. And then there was the lady behind me with the Garmin who was keeping a slower pace but fast enough to finish before the shuttle would have to pick me up. I then knew I had to stay ahead of or with her in order to avoid the shuttle.

Mile 5 was the hardest for me. I was hurting and aching and tired...so tired. I was pushing myself to keep moving but not pushing myself. I was holding a slight bit in reserve in order to actually finish. I knew that I would have to have something left to run across that finish line. So, I kept a reserve. I did not give this race everything I had but it took everything out of me. Once we got close enough to the finish line, I started running faster. I heard Cathy and Chuck cheering me on and knew that they were there, so I pushed as hard as I could to finish. I finished strong.

Me, Chuck and Cathy after our post-race breakfast at Cracker Barrel

I needed this race and this finish. I know several things now. 1. I am not ready mentally or with my mileage for my half-marathon in October. 2. I am still able to push through the pain and mental crap to finish my race. 3. It is time to kick mileage into gear and ramp up training to get me ready for the half.

Even though this was a difficult race, it was an important race for me. It was the race that told me that I still have it. I am still able to compete. I still have what I need mentally to continue on this journey. And I know that I am not ready to give up running yet. I may be starting all over again, but I will fight to keep in this sport. I will work smarter and harder to prevent future injuries, but I will continue to run and continue to compete. I am looking forward to my 5k next weekend. I am going to get some more mileage in this week and work a bit on my endurance and speed. And I have a goal in mind for next weekend, but I am ready...at least mentally.

This race reminds me of a song that I listened to repeatedly when Dad was sick and I was traveling back and forth to VA to help out. It's called "Stand" by Rascal Flatts. The particular lyrics that stuck out to me were "Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of. You might bend til you break cause it's all you can take. On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong. Wipe your hands, shake it off, then you stand. Then you stand." I am still determined and motivated, no matter how afraid I might be, I am still facing the challenge and standing strong. I finished my race and finished strongly and I will continue to keep pushing and fighting.

Pushing Through...

So, I finally feel like I am making some headway in my workouts and in my return to my normal training intensity. I had several great workouts this week with Tye. Monday, we did shoulders, biceps and triceps....and my arms were killing me most of the week. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that I gave blood that day or the workout, but OUCH!! Wednesday was our leg day and it was awesome. My legs were wobbly as I was walking out of the gym that day. It felt great. We haven't had a leg day like that in awhile. And Friday was chest and back with some abs.

Yesterday, I headed out for my talk/walk/jog/run with Cathy. Depending upon the way my hip feels and the terrain is what determines whether we walk, jog or run. Yesterday, we were at the Harbison State Forest. I am not much for trail running because I am just pretty clumsy. So, I am more cautious there. We generally just get some good hiking in...6 miles of it! There are lots of hills and twists and turns...not to mention, there are tons of rocks and roots and things to trip over. We did do a small amount of running yesterday, but I was experiencing a little bit of difficulty with my ankle. It was weird because the day before I had some trouble with my shins but that was on the treadmill. I decided to take my friend Chuck's advice and tape my ankles for my next run...which will be this afternoon with Cathy!

After my time with Cathy, I came home and spent about 30 minutes trashing my abs. And I do mean trashing. Last night at work, I could already feel some tenderness there!! Wow! Who knew that I could pick ab exercises that would just kill me!! I got a couple exercises from my new magazine that I subscribe to...Fitness. The other exercises were ones I remember from Cathe Friedrich's workout. After abs, I spent some more time stretching. I wanted to make sure I got a good amount of stretching in. Also, I iced the hip last night and took Advil. I want to run with Cathy today so I am hoping that all my extra work will pay off in my running today!

With several races upcoming, I am getting more and more nervous about the running. I admit, fear is setting in deep. So, I am trying to work through my fears! I have been blessed with several good friends who have been helping me. Cathy and I have a regular running date on Saturdays. She challenges me but also keeps me mindful of my hip without making me feel bad if we have to slow down or stop. And Chuck gives me great advice on how to improve my running and technique so I can endure longer runs. I have yet to run with Chuck yet but mostly because he is so much faster than me that it intimidates me! But we will be running together soon. And I will have to keep in mind that I have to run at my own pace. I cannot try to run someone else's pace whether it be in my training or in my races. And Chuck would never make me run his pace because he knows I am rehabbing the hip still. I was also told by one of the trainers at the gym that is studying to be an athletic trainer (and has physical therapy experience) that it would likely be about a year before my hip would feel normal again! I am thankful for Cathy and Chuck who both understand that I am rehabbing a hip and don't push me past what I can do, but also challenge me to improve.

Tye has also been a great resource. He understands my fears since he has experienced an injury that changes his workouts some too. His shoulder is still not back to normal after surgery over a year ago. It takes time and patience to get back to your former patterns. So, I have hope to get where I want to be!

I look forward to continuing to push past the fears or reinjury or other injuries and the fears that I will never run the same again. My next few races may not produce any amazing times, but they are starting points for me to work back into and hopefully improve as I go. And I am okay with that. I want to get back into my sport and will take what I can get, even if that means I will be doing a whole lot more walking than I intended to!

I am also going to start working on some tips from trainer, Bob Harper. The first one I am woking on is to take one or two of my cardio sessions a week and double the time. This should be interesting because that means I would spend 2 hours on cardio!!! Of course, it doesn't all have to be done at one time but all on the same day. I have also been doing his challenges that he posts. Yesterday was a yoga challenge. It feels good to challenge myself!