MINDSET CHANGE

I have no idea who Hazel Hira Ozbek is, but as I was looking for a photo for this blog post, it struck me. It struck because I seem to always be waiting for something to start running again, or waiting for Monday to come around. It's always something, at least here recently. I am waiting for my knee to get better (that's probably legitimate), I am waiting for it to cool down, I am waiting for me to lose some weight first...excuse after excuse. And I have plenty more excuses!  I don't have the time to run like I did, I need the extra hour of sleep in the morning, I will start when school starts and the kids are up...

I do not know how many Mondays this summer I was supposed to start "my training". The latest one was supposed to be August 1, which was the golden date because it was the first day of the month and a Monday! But, it did not happen. Next Monday the kids start school, so everyone will be up and that should be a "good time" to start right? Mindset change.

All in all, I agree with Hazel, it should not matter what day I start, I just have to start. The doctor has cleared me with my knee (although, he said I should look at doing something else because it is a 44 year old knee) and I know it is going to be hot no matter when I start, unless I wait till late October. I realize it is going to be like starting over and I have to understand that it will not be like it was when I was training. My mindset can't be to get it all back in one day. Mindset Change

As of this morning, I weighed in at 205.7lbs. This is the most I have ever weighed in my life. Now I do think some of it is added muscle since I have been going to lift weights for the past two months while my knee was messed up, but still, 205?? This is another reason I need to get back to the pool and the roads. I know once I get into my groove, I should lose some weight. My first weight goal is to get under 200 lbs. My main number one goal is to get back in the 180s. Man, 25lbs sounds like a lot to lose doesn't it? I really don't feel like I eat a lot, I just eat the wrong things. Another mindset I have to change.

I think the draw to triathlon for me in the very beginning was the journey it would take to reach Ironman, it seemed so unobtainable to me. Will I ever get back to IM? I don't know, I would like to one day do a second IM, so maybe I am starting a journey to a second IM...

I started this post like 8 different times because I could not get this post to flow like I wanted it to until I found this quote. Thanks Hazel!

P.S. I Googled hazel and she is some kind of famous poet!

Unprepared, But Ready

So I am back to the blog, rambling on as always. It has been a busy time for me these past couple of weeks. Since this is mainly a blog about Ironman and racing, I will start off with my upcoming race that I feel completely unprepared for, The St Jude Half Marathon. I started the training off really well and had some lofty goals, but life has since reared its head and reminded me that this is my hobby and other things have to come first.

I do not know why I do this every year, but I do. As you might know, I work in the glorious world of retail, and I am finally surrendering to the fact that Christmas sales and late season races do not mix. I always think that I can pull off training and still deal with the Black Friday schedule, which includes school and church activities plus time changes, cold temperatures and everything else one must account for. It is just a difficult time of year for me to hit my workouts, yet I still think I can. I think I have finally learned my lesson on this race.

This past 10 days have been crazy for me as well. My father got very sick and was even in the ICU unit for almost a week battling an infection that got into his bloodstream. This was a very scary time for my family. We went form taking him to the ER, to him joking with us as we left for the night expecting him to be kept one night to us being called at 5 AM telling us he was in ICU on a breathing machine. It was unreal! I was glad we were visiting my folks that weekend all this occurred (it was his Birthday and we celebrated Thanksgiving that Sat because of my work). Being three hours away did not make it any easier either. I felt like I needed to be in two places at once so many time this past week!

**I do want to thank all the friends and family that did pray for my father, either from FB, IG, or people who heard about his condition**

I am happy/relieved to know that he is finally cleared to go home after being in the hospital for over a week! Huge relief!

So after all that, and now traveling for work this week, I have a half marathon coming up Saturday that I am so not ready for. My last long run of 11 miles was about a month ago. It is so going to hurt on Saturday!

I am still going to run it. I am an Ironman!!!  Right?

I have just changed my expectations on this race. I want to run it and enjoy it, just be in the crowd around other athletes. I know a lot of people running this race and I admit, the competitor in me wants to smoke my friends, but I may be the smokee instead of the smoker this year. (sounds totally whack, but you get it). So I am totally ready for my butt to be kicked. Everything is OK in my world right now and if me not hitting a goal time is the worst I have it, then its fine by me!

It's Just The Way I Am!

Here recently I have been dreading my long runs and even some of my shorter runs. This time of year is always crazy busy for me being in retail and all, but I always sign up for the St Jude Marathon weekend, so I have to run. My plan has been calling for a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday run, with Saturday being the long run. I have been fairly consistent in running during the week, but once the mileage got into double figures, man, have I been dreading it.

So, I have found the one thing that has helped me get out of this funk!

I change my route.

Simple huh? I have found that the easiest way to hit that dreaded run is to change the route entirely. I usually hate to drive somewhere to run because I think it is stupid, but on occasion, (like this weekend) I will drive myself over to the Greenline and run. It changes everything for me!

The Shelby Farms Greenline is a 6.5 mile urban trail connecting Midtown Memphis to Shelby Farms Park–the largest park of its kind in the country. Managed and operated by the nonprofit Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, the trail is an incredible community asset that provides new opportunities for recreation, exercise, togetherness, healthy activity, commuting and more. Now connected to Shelby Farms Park’s Wolf River Pedestrian Bridge, the Shelby Farms Greenline allows for miles of new trail routes. The paved trail currently runs from Tillman St. at Walnut Grove Rd. in Midtown to Farm Rd. at Mullins Station Rd. at Shelby Farms Park. There are access points at Tillman Street., Highland Street, High Point Terrace, Graham Street, Waring Road, Podesta Street, Sycamore View Road, and Farm Road at Shelby Farms Park. (I know these streets do not mean much to a lot of people, but it's cool). The trail has mile markers every half mile, which seems to really help. It also helps that there are always other runners or bikers on the Greenline. I think that my routes around my house get way to familiar and boring. So a new location is sometimes all I need to get refreshed and energized.

About two weeks ago I went to the Greenline for a 10 mile run. My plan was to run 2 miles, walk a minute and then run another two until I finished my 10 miles. So I started, it was a nice cool day with temps in the low 50s, I ran in shorts and my arm warmers. My goal was not about speed, but just finishing the 10 miles. After I hit the 2 mile marker, I thought to myself to go 3, then 4, then 5. I knew I have already hit runs of 8 and 9 miles, so I am not sure why I was so unconfident about this run, but I was! So at mile 5, I did walk a minute because I had to make some adjustments, but then I started running again for the next 5 miles. I covered 10 miles in 1:44 with a 10:24 pace. I was actually thrilled.

No, it was not nearly as fast as I had hoped, but I did finish it and I accomplished what I wanted to on my run. Sometimes you just need that extra encouragement to tell yourself you can do it. Even though I have run this distance and further in my triathlon career, and even though I just did this distance, I will still have these same thought sin my head as I prepare for this Saturday's run. I will still dread the pending 11 miler on Saturday morning, but I already have plans to hit the Greenline and hit my 11 miles under 1:55, and once I finish that, I can then start dreading the next long run, cause that is just the way I am!