#1 Continuous small runs are more effective
Do not feel like you have to run long distances to be a runner! If you run one mile, your a runner! If you continue to train your body you can build up to longer runs. Its better to do 3 small runs a week, than to try and go 6 miles on one day a week. Breaking it down even further-- its better for your body to run in intervals than to try and run continuously. Many novice runners believe that you have to run non-stop! I have found this to be absolutely false! I run faster than many people in my fitness/age group by running intervals. I run 30 seconds fast as I can and then walk 30 seconds-- Over and Over and over and over and I can safely shave minutes off my "regular run" times.
#2 I am responsible for my own success!
No one can wake up for me. No one can get out that door. No one can drive me to the YMCA every day. No one can be responsible for my success but me. AND sometimes that sucks. Being a very social person its very hard to workout alone. Up until very recently I NEVER worked out alone. If I couldn't find a buddy I would stay home. I would call it a "rest" day, and while recovery time is important I think whats more important is to stop thinking of your "rest days" as a vacation. Think about working out as relaxing and not just one more thing you HAVE to do everyday. I started running/working out alone and at first I hated it, but now I am growing to enjoy being all alone, I am much more observant and I am saving all kinds of oxygen by not talking when I am supposed to be running. I used to think I had to be accountable to other people or I would quit, but the truth is I only have myself to be accountable to and in the end it will show if I worked hard or slacked off.
Every time I run I want to quit. I get the urge to stop every single time I run, sometimes its after a block, sometimes six miles in. Its not my body asking me, its my brain. Running is a peculiar activity it requires so much more mental strength than physical, and the ability to overcome those urges to quit, the urges to walk that last mile is what makes you stronger. The same applies to life. Life is difficult, sometimes people treat you poorly, sometimes life deals you a raw deal, sometimes things just suck-- but our ability as humans to overcome that and keep going is what makes us extraordinary. When I feel the urge to quit I think about the old Sarah, the one who did more sitting than anything else, the one who made excuses for eating poorly, the one who made excuses for not working out and I push myself to just make it to the end of that block without stopping. Just to the end of the block, and when I reach the end of that block its just to that one tree up ahead, or just until the song ends on my mp3 player then my brain stops sending negative messages. I stop telling myself to quit. Its just not an option.
#3 Fitness has to be FUN!
Running can be boring, that's why so many people claim to hate running. Hopefully anyone who reads this blog knows that running is anything but boring. I have done so many exciting runs and am always on the lookout for more fun runs. Warrior Dash/Color Run/Gladiator Challenge are just a few of the most fun races around! I cant wait to expand my goals to include adventure style races with biking, canoeing, swimming. I think the only way a person will learn to enjoy working out is to make sure its fun! Build yourself a great support system of people who love to be active! Join a softball team, take classes at the YMCA, meet your friends and go for walks everyday. If fitness isn't fun you will quit. If it is fun you will run with a 101 degree temperature, sore throat, and on the verge of vomiting, up ski hills in heat, through fire, creeks, and mudslides and not even wince.
The day of the Gladiator Challenge at Seven Oaks in Boone, Iowa I woke up sick. I had a temperature, a sore throat, and felt sick to my stomach. I thought about calling in sick for this one, but decided it would be a huge waste of a great day to not go out anyways! I couldn't bear to miss out on a day with my skirts and what is more fun than getting sweaty and muddy in Boone, Iowa? Ok, well I can think of a few things-- but not many! The Gladiator Challenge included 6 miles of trail running and 30 obstacles. I was worried but not too worried about the challenge, I knew I could do it, but could I complete it sick? We warmed up with a walk up HUGE ski hill a minimum of a half mile! By the time I got to the top I was already tired. After a little yoga thanks to our kindly philanthropic chairperson Steph M, we lined up at the start line, we were the final wave of the day. I like the gun shooting off at the start line. I also like going really fast at first ( even though your not supposed to) because I feel like for those few minutes I am beating everyone else. My goal was to finish in less than two hours. I like to think of my goals in a specific way. I tell my friends all the time my mouth moves faster than my brain and my brain works faster than my legs. So I set my goals really high and then I carry a very small eraser. The first part of the race was downhill and through some very toxic smoke and fire. I leapt over the fire with at least a 6 inch vertical and bounded to the next obstacle. The scary part about this race is for the majority of it I was all alone running through trails in woods. It felt like an athletic Blair Witch remake.
I would come across other runners and hear them cheering each other on. Maybe my most favorite part of race day is the kinship of everyone there-- people you know, people you don't know, people of all shapes, sizes and athletic abilities. All there for one purpose and they are so supportive! Yelling "great job!" " you can do it" and the thing is that cheering really does help!There is an unspoken kinship between runners, even if its your first race, even if you finish last, the energy is electric! This race made me especially happy because my friend Kathy ran the ENTIRE race while going through chemotherapy treatments. She held hands with my friend Steph as they crossed the finish line and the photo embodies everything a Dirty Skirt is. Strong. Courageous. Loyal. Encouraging. I am constantly reminded what a powerful group of women who surround me and what this team is all about. To date the Dirty Skirts have raised over $3,000 dollars for local charities-- and this year we are raising money for Triple Negative Breast Cancer, as our friend Kathy battles against it we have found a way to raise awareness and honor her amazing spirit and strength.
