Progress

Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.  - Oscar Wilde

Eventually, after we spend enough time eating and working out like we should, we start to see some small but encouraging signs of progress - we don't get winded walking to the mailbox, it's easier to bend to tie our shoes, our pants are looser. This should be exciting for us so why do we find ourselves thinking that what we have done isn't good enough? Too often we shrug our shoulders in dismissal at the things we have done because we don’t think they are so great. We dwell on the fact that even though we have lost 3 pounds, we still have 47 more pounds to lose to meet our goal. We wait for others to be our champions and give validity to our actions when we should do that for ourselves. We become our own worst enemy and harshest critic. I'm guilty of this. I find it very hard to accept praise or compliments from others. I find it difficult to give MYSELF kudos for my achievements and victories so I find it hard to believe that anyone else would do otherwise but - no more. I promised to be kinder to myself and that is a promise I intend to keep. There is no reason why we shouldn't pat ourselves on the back if we just walked 2 miles for the first time or if the lettering on the front of our favorite t-shirt isn't stretched out anymore - those are big deals! Enjoy the feeling!! Celebrate it!!

I think back to all of the races I have done and the praise I received for doing them. The only person that didn't praise me was ME. All I could think of was that I wasn't fast enough, my strides were too choppy and that I got passed up by a lot of people. Even though only a few short months earlier I wasn’t able to run far, I didn't allow myself to enjoy my victories (and in my mind, finishing a race IS a victory). I couldn't give myself credit for the remarkable progress I had made and I found it unfathomable that anyone else would find what I had done to be impressive. That is now in the past. That's why I post my daily mileage for all the world to see. I am proud of the miles I am racking up no matter how small they may be because each of the miles represents progress - progress of action and progress of thought. All of the miles are significant because they are miles that are getting me closer to my ultimate goal of running a 50-mile race (yep, I'm a bit of a masochist). Each mile represents my choice to not sit around and be unhealthy. Each mile symbolizes my decision to do something rather than nothing. Each mile is a step in the right direction and we are all about moving forward, right?

So this week, say a big “hell yeah” when you do something you didn’t think you could do. Smile and accept praise or compliments that are given to you and know that you are worthy of the accolades you receive. But most importantly, believe in yourself.  Be proud of yourself and your decision to stay on the path to a healthier you. Now, lace up your shoes and get out there to show the world what amazing things you can do.

Happy Trails,
Valeka


   

Direction

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion" - Newton's First Law of Motion

"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that." - Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking-Glass

This was my first week back to reestablishing my habits of healthy eating and consistent running.  I don't run right now as much as I "wog" (half walk and half jog) but at least I am making my body move.  I'm really not up to speed (no pun intended) but I know that is something that will come with time.  I fell off the wagon on my first day though - I had pizza for dinner.  I know better but I did it anyway and found myself thinking that it was okay because I had just run 3 miles.  The evil pattern had reared it's ugly head on my first day but I stayed strong and didn't give in to temptation the rest of the week.  In the past, I would never have given it a second thought and would have kept right on doing that even though it was counterproductive.  I think that is a sign of progress - a glimmer of hope.  So, YAY ME!!!  Hey, gotta celebrate the small victories because if you get enough of those, it means you are on the right path.  I am trying to be better about patting myself on the back when I do the good stuff and to not beat myself up when I mess up because, I'm human and I'm gonna mess up from time to time.  The key is to do more good stuff than not so good stuff.  Stay on the path.

One of my favorite running movies is Run Fat Boy Run.  It's a far cry from being Chariots of Fire but there's a theme in it that resonates with me - there is a difference between running toward something and running away or in the wrong direction (not all running is created equal).  There was a time in my life where I ran because I loved it and damn was it awesome (running in the right direction)!  I didn't run because I was overweight or because I was stressed.  I did it because it felt good.  When I started running a few years ago I did it because I needed to lose weight for my brother's wedding (running in the wrong direction - it was done to fit into a dress).  Once the wedding was over and bridesmaid dress was packed into the back of my closet, I relaxed and put some (fortunately not ALL) of the weight back on.  This time, my hope is that I can recapture the love I have for running AND lose weight.  I don't want it to be one or the other.  I need to run towards a healthy happy me rather than running from the weight that is holding me back.  I want to look at this from a more positive perspective.  Maybe being kinder and gentler to myself will help to keep the weight off this time.  I am the only one that can make that happen and I will do it one run at a time.    

Happy Trails,
Valeka