Motivation
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How did week one of "Operation Kicking Things Up a Notch" go for you? Did you find you were able to press in or did you find yourself thinking about it without taking action?
There is nothing wrong with thinking about things. Planning and goal setting can be very helpful. I believe the problem occurs when we get stuck thinking and can't get to the doing part. You have to get moving for changes to take place.
I participated in the Cap City half marathon this weekend, which is a 13.1 mile event. I decided ahead of time that my strategy was going to be walk the first mile to check in with my back and make sure it felt OK (I am still recovering from a disk injury). Then I would run to the half way point, walk another mile, and decide then whether to run or walk the rest.
I lined up at the start with butterflies like I always do. My mind kept working at calculating pace, how fast I would need to run to finish in a certain time, what my finish time was last time I ran this race, etc. I had monkey brain. It just kept bouncing from one thing to the next and it was difficult to quiet it while waiting.
As the National Anthem played, I started to get excited. I got chills. I could feel my emotions start to well up. I felt a little anxious and very happy to be in that moment. It reminded me that all my heart wanted was to be out here participating with 10,000 other people who have decided to make fitness a priority. All the other stuff, the stats, the time, didn't matter.
The gun went off and I crossed the starting line. My first mile walk went great. I didn't feel any problems in my back and I started looking at all the people around me, wondering what their stories were. What brought them out here today? What did they have to overcome? I felt inspired by all of them, in all shapes and sizes and fitness levels, who were out there doing it.
I began to run at mile two. I was starting to connect to my heart and soul. The movement of my body felt like freedom. Yet I still had monkey brain thoughts about being too slow. I thought about my running club friends and figured they were probably at the half way point by then. My mind was still trying to judge and compare, even in the middle of this awesome experience.
Somewhere around mile four, my mind told me to stop so I had to check in with my body. Some basic discomfort but nothing injury-related so I decided to override my negative thoughts and listen to my heart because my heart wanted to run. My heart wanted to finish this race with my fists in the air and a smile on my face.
At the half way mark, I walked for a bit then resumed running. This was around mile seven. This is the point where my mind isn't saying stop quietly, it is yelling at me now. But I know I can overcome this. My thoughts do not dictate what I can and cannot do anymore. I can keep going even though it's getting difficult. So I just kept talking step after step looking for mile eight.
After what seemed like forever, I saw the mile marker but it was the mile nine mark! I was closer to finishing than I thought. Soon after, I encountered a woman who was struggling to keep going. We ran together for awhile and all I said was "You've got this". She smiled and took off and finished a bit ahead of me. When you believe you can do something, nothing can stop you.
As I crossed the finish line, I got choked up like I always do. I am still amazed to be out there moving, overcoming, participating. My body was shot. I had pushed it to the limit that day. As I walked slowly back to my car, I was so happy. Like I tell you guys all the time, there is nothing that can replace the feeling of "I did it".
If you have been thinking about doing something more about your health, your weight, your wellness or your life I want to challenge you to get moving. If you are like me, you have spent more than enough time thinking about it. Don't wait another day. Get out there and live life full on. Override those negative thoughts with your heart. There is so much power when you believe.
Now get moving!
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