An Adventure In Finding Balance

Quick Recap for anyone new to the blog…

The beginning of 2012 was a wake up call for me in a lot of ways. I had the opportunity to run an amazing 200 mile relay race through the Florida Keys with a fun team of 12. I (of course) had the time of my life, but I also struggled every step of the way.

I’ve always been an athlete, so this came as a shock to me (some denial had been involved) and served as a pretty big reality check. I decided I wasn’t ready to just throw in the towel and rest on my past laurels from my “athletic days.” I wanted to prove that I am resilient and capable of bouncing back from anything, so I set some goals.

It felt a little daunting to view them as long-term goals and to think about where I’d be in a year, so instead I took a day-by-day approach. I kept in mind my ultimate goal of getting healthier, more fit and back to being comfortable in  my own skin while making day by day progress, as slow as it felt.

Amazing the difference a year can make! Spring of 2012…

• I was learning how to celebrate small victories like running 2 miles without stopping and improving from a 10:30 pace to 10:10 pace on the treadmill.
• I was trying to remember that it didn’t matter how fast or slow I went, as long as I didn’t stop or give up.
• I was fighting a mental battle with each trip to the gym.
• I was 25 lbs heavier than I am now.
• I was learning to stop giving power to the imaginary standards I’d set that were breathing condemnation and doubt down my neck.

Now, I’m focused on consistency.

It can sound like an easy throw-away lesson: Ok be consistent, check, but how do I REALLY fill in the blank (for me: lose weight/run faster/run further, etc.). Human nature lends itself toward choosing the past of least resistance.

When it comes right down to it, people (me) often default to choosing immediate comfort – whether it’s in exercise, food, work or relationships. Consistency bypasses that immediate comfort in favor of the long-term payoff (which in a lot of situations is the more real version of comfort).

“You’re telling me a delicious milkshake isn’t ‘real comfort’? Ok, crazy.” -Me in 2012… and also now. Oops.

Ok, moving right along… 1,000 miles in 2013

Yep, that is my new goal! My sister and I each started working toward our 1,000 mile goal at the beginning of the year and are tracking the miles in a spreadsheet to make sure we’re keeping up!

There, it’s public. Now please keep me accountable. Both to my 1,000 miles and to not choosing comfort over discipline.