The Edge

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Sir Edmund Hillary

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” - Confucious

I feel like I am on the edge of doing wonderful things. I visualize myself up on my tip-toes reaching towards something great and my fingertips graze it but I can't quite grasp it to pull it towards me.  Sometimes the more I reach, the more off balance I get and have to start over again in my quest to reach "it".  "It" is several things for me right now.  "It" is a more challenging job where I am valued, a healthier lifestyle, finding more time to do the things I love, improving my running abilities and doing more for others.  Those are all the things that are important to me.  When I look at the list typed out before me, they don't seem so unattainable yet when I try to do those things in my real life, they aren't quite as easy to come by. 

Perhaps I don't apply myself enough to my endeavors.  Maybe if I tried harder or dedicated more time to running, I would improve.  I remember what it was like when I trained for my marathon a few years ago.  I spent a lot of time alone and missed out on a lot of things because of my training schedule.  I missed dinners with friends, spending time with my dogs (at the time, I only had my two little dogs), weekends with my family and much more.  And in the end, I didn't get to run the race.  But I improved so much as a runner during those months of solo running and training.  I suppose it's really a decision I need to make about what I want and what I am willing to sacrifice to get it.  I remember having to be concerned about what I was eating and when so I would have the proper energy store for my 18 mile long run. Or not being able to go on a super-charged shopping spree the day before a long run because I wanted to make sure my legs and feet were rested properly.  And going to bed early to be ready for my 5 am training run.  Was it worth it?  At the time it sure seemed like it was.

Being on the edge of so much possibility is exciting.  Ultimately, where I go and what I do is up to me.  I get to decide how to make it all happen and that is the hard part.  There aren't ever enough hours in the day for me to do it all.  I like to think that my family and friends will understand if I am out of pocket because I have a long run bright and early on a Saturday morning or because I am working on a writing project or doing volunteer work.  Maybe keeping myself more involved in the things that I truly love will keep me from focusing on the negativity (i.e., my job).  My goal is to try to fill my days with things that I deem as valuable.  And even if I don't get to touch on ALL things that I feel are important on a daily basis, I will at least be edging closer to reaching some of my goals.  Gotta keep moving onward and upward.

Happy Trails,

Valeka  

And so it begins....

If you're going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchill

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent - Eleanor Roosevelt 

This week has been the sort with more downs than ups but, as cliche as it sounds, everything happens for a reason.  Sometimes we need a swift, hard kick in the ass to get us moving.  That is the kind of week it was for me (I am referring to my professional life, all else is pretty darn great).  I've decided not to devote any more energy to the problems there and redirect it in a more positive way - one that benefits ME.  Even though I've been progressing in my work outs, it has been a slow climb.  That could be because, even though I have been working towards becoming more fit, I didn't have an actual goal in mind.  So, my BFF and I made a bold move on National Running Day (June 1st) and signed up for the Livestrong Austin Half Marathon!!  I am soooooo very excited and am really looking forward to the race.  Of course, I would have preferred signing up for the full marathon but the training for that would have been such a huge commitment and it would have been hard for me to devote the necessary time to it.  The half marathon is a distance I am very comfortable with and there is plenty of time for me to prepare for it.  Plus, if I decide I'm ready, I can always upgrade to the FULL marathon (provided there are still spots available).  Of course, I will be sharing my training triumphs (and pitfalls) with you all.

I guess that's how life is sometimes - it ebbs and it flows.  The same can be said of training - we have good days and bad ones.  It's how we rebound from the tough times that makes all the difference in the world.  The Churchill quote I listed is one of my very favorites.  I recite it to myself any time I am going through a rough patch in my life or when I'm facing a difficult running route.  It is my mantra.  Hell, I may even get that printed on a t-shirt that I can wear to my race!!  I refuse to let anyone hold me back and I refuse to give them the power to determine my worth.  If I sound a wee bit angry, it's because I am.  There will always be people that don't appreciate you, tell you that you aren't good enough, that you aren't the right fit for something or that you can't do something.  You can let it eat away at your self-esteem or you can move on into a more positive direction.  And that's exactly what I'm going to do (in more ways than one).  I may not be fast or skinny but I am going to kick some ass at that race and I know that my family and friends will be there to cheer me on (some, in spirit only).  Because ultimately, the ones that love you aren't the ones that try to make you feel inferior.  They are the ones that lift you up, are there when things get hard and don't ever let you forget how fabulous you are.  Their positivity is what we should carry with us when things get hard and we doubt ourselves.  

So, let the games begin!!  I'm ready for the challenge and I'm ready to begin a new chapter in my life.....and there will be no looking back. 

Happy Trails,
Valeka  

Setbacks

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Winston Churchill

Never, never, never give up.  - Winston Churchill

Maintaining my healthy lifestyle has been going very well the last few months.  I have been running/wogging regularly and eating well.  That is until......*cough*cough*cough*.  I'm not sure where it came from really, but the day after my weekly visit to Town Lake, I began coughing.  It started out as just a slight tickle in my throat and by the end of the week, I was losing sleep and had sore abs from hacking so much.  Needless to say, I decided to take a break from my workouts for the rest of the week in hopes that the irritating cough would go away.  It didn't.  Aside from a missed day of work (I hate missing work because of cooties), I had to visit the doctor so I could try to nip this illness in the bud.  

I became very annoyed that this cough and congestion was keeping me from doing one of the things that I love most - running.   This happened to me in November of last year when I got bronchitis that turned into walking pneumonia.  Then at the end of December, after FINALLY getting over my illness, I slipped on some water on my parent's tiled kitchen floor and sprained my ankle.  That took a couple of months to heal well enough to allow me to run on it (I still have to use kinesio tape for it if I plan on doing more than a few miles to give it a little extra stability).  My brain started to question whether or not I was fighting a losing battle.  As my dad sometimes says "I feel like I am swimming against the current".    Having to endure one set back after another gets really old and really discouraging after a while.  It was making me wonder why I was even bothering if I keep running into all of these setbacks.  I was on the verge of throwing my hands up in the air and yelling " I GIVE UP".    
 

Then I thought that maybe this was the universe's way of testing me to see just how badly I want to run.  I decided to turn this situation around and make it into a challenge for myself.  Maybe, just maybe, setbacks are a gift in disguise.  If we didn't have to put in extra effort to reach our goals, would we actually appreciate them as much?   We all encounter roadblocks as we make our way through life.  Where we go and how we get past those blocks is up to us.  We can choose to lay down or we can get up, dust off and continue to move forward on our path.  I choose to move forward.  True, I may not be able to run right now because I can't breathe deeply without  busting out into a coughing fit but I sure as hell can eat healthy, get plenty of rest and do a less rigorous type of exercise in the meantime.  Doing those things will keep me on track towards reaching the fitness goals I have set for myself.  The way I look at it, there are bound to be plenty of obstacles (both mental and physical) during a 50 mile race and there is no way I am going to lay down on the course.  I'm not about to let a cough set me back.  So this week, I'm going to keep my goal in mind every time I get frustrated with this stupid cough.  I will think about what I CAN do rather than what I can't do.  Soon, this cough will be a thing of the past but my decision to not give up will be with me every time I hit the trail.  

Happy Trails,

Valeka