As I WORK to maintain my weight loss, there seem to be three things that keep me "on track."
1. NUMBERS: I love data. Heart Rate, Pace, Distance, Weight, BMI, Body Fat% - I track them all. As my numbers improve I feel motivated to stay the course. Numbers also help me during long workouts...
2. How I look: I think I look strong. That makes me happy! A piece of chocolate will not make me as happy as the new muscle that I found in my arm this week :-)
3. How I feel: This is a new one for me - and the point of todays post. I have always been TERRIBLE about listening to my body during workouts. I push too hard - I expect too much. I have heart rate trained in the past, but this time is different. I have been consistent and using my number 1 motivator, let the numbers guide me. Today I didn't have to. Today I felt my body telling me how much I could do, and I listened. Let me tell you - it felt great!! It made me feel... happy, strong, amazing, awesome, invincible, and most of all motivated!
Two years ago, running 6 miles sounded like an impossible feat! Last year, I took on a 1/2 marathon, but laughed when people said you should be able to train at a level of "holding a conversation." To run more than 1 mile, I would be so out of breathe and red and sweaty - conversation, HA!! Today... I talked to people at every mile wishing them a Happy Easter and discussing the beautiful day. Last year, when I would run SC, I would avoid looking at the mile markers - because "how could it only be 0.25 miles since the last one." Today, my thought was, "wow that was a quick 0.25 miles!!" I saw deer today, the glistening of the water, the sun, and even enjoyed the wind in my face (granted it was a light wind.)
Don't get me wrong, I will always use the numbers, especially on the days when the birds aren't chirping and I am not finding the "runner's high." I thought I had found the runner's high before, but today, I think I finally really found it. It is somewhere between "I am capable of anything" and "I could do this all day."
However, I will let the feeling motivate me when I can. The numbers will come :-) and the "feeling" is so much more motivating and rewarding.
Look how much I have changed as a runner over the last 4 years!
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| 4/20/2014 |
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| March 2013 |
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| March 2012 |
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| April 2011 |
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| March 2010 |
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