The 5K I've been training for is less than 2 weeks away. To recap real quick, I started running again back in July, and my goal is to run the 5K in 31 minutes (3.1 miles in 31 minutes for my 31st birthday, which is at the end of this month). I do realize that a 10 minute mile is not very fast, and a lot of people would find my goal laughable. But the last time I worked out regularly was in the spring of 2012 (before my wedding), and between then and now, I've carried and birthed two children. So, no, I'm not starting out with a goal of getting the first place prize in a marathon. I need my goal to be realistic and achievable, but still challenging and fun for me. So smirk if you want, I don't mind, I'm ok with starting slow. I'm proud of myself, my plan, and my progress.
Since July 15th, I have run at least 3 times a week every single week. I've met my first two milestones: run 2 miles in 20 mins by 8/20 and 2.5 miles in 25 mins by 9/20. And I'm currently working on my third milestone: run 3 miles every run in October. I've run over 85 cumulative miles so far, and by the time I finish the 5K, I will have logged nearly 115 miles. If you know anything about me and my history with exercise, you'd know that it's pretty much nonexistent. My biography would read, "During her 20s, Casey was quite sedentary. She had a brief but successful stint with Camp Gladiator before becoming pregnant with her first child, and subsequently abandoning any and all rigorous physical activity."
Joking aside, I really was a total flake on any exercise plans I set out for myself. In between pregnancies, I sort of had this "what's the point of exercising now? My body is just going to balloon again" attitude. I'm not a morning person, so waking up before the kids to work out sounded like a terrible idea. And if I exercised in the evening, I had a hard time winding down. For a while I did some at-home cardio stuff in the living room while Maddie napped, but that didn't last long either. Basically I was lacking in motivation, will power, and confidence. But it's not that I didn't care. It loomed over me all the time. I knew I should be taking better care of my body and I was always frustrated with my weight and shape.
So what changed? How did I finally kick my butt into gear? How did I convince myself to go running even when I didn't sleep well, and it was hot outside, and it was dark outside, and my head hurt and my feet hurt and I just washed my hair yesterday?
A few things changed, really. First and foremost, my kids started sleeping better. I don't do well on limited sleep, and I was a zombie for quite a while during the phases in which my kids were waking multiple times in the night. Second of all, maybe this is cheesy, but I read a really great book called "Girl, Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis. I highly recommend it. One of the key themes that really resonated with me is this idea that you are in control of your life. Certainly there are things that happen to you that are out of your control, but you are in control of so much more. The decisions you make every day contribute to the person you are and the person you'll become. And no one else is going to do it for you. No one but me can make me run in the morning. It's completely on me. Another thing Rachel emphasizes is that you should never break a promise to yourself. Because when you build a habit of continually flaking on your own plans, your brain subconsciously learns that you can't be trusted, that you'll never complete what you started, and that you'll never succeed in your plans.
Step one for me was setting a goal and making a plan. I ran one mile to see just how out of shape I was, I spent some time researching couch-to-5k plans, and I wrote out all my ideas. I was really specific in my goals and plans (like when and how many times I would run, where I would run, what time I would run, etc).
Step two was to promise myself that I would see this through. And really mean it.
Step three was this realization: I'm not a morning person, ever. It doesn't matter if I've had 5 hours of sleep or 9 hours of sleep, I won't want to get out of bed. My alarm could be set for 6:15am or 7:00am... and either way I wouldn't want to wake up. So then, if I still won't want to roll out of bed at 7:00, I might as well just get up at 6:15 and go for a run because I know it is the healthy choice to make! Does that resonate with anyone? [Side note: I have since discovered that running in the morning gives me SO MUCH MORE ENERGY than sleeping for 30 more mins. Also, my anxiety is significantly lower on days I exercise. It's fascinating to me because I've always been one to sleep until the very last minute and hit the snooze button several times because I thought that's what I needed.]
Step four was to set out my running clothes the night before I planned to run. Since I started doing this in July, I haven't ONCE skipped a run if I laid out my clothes the night before. This step is two-fold for me. First, it's one less thing to do in the morning, and second, I would feel so guilty if I had to get ready for the day standing next to my running clothes neatly laid out on the bathroom counter.
Step five was all the little nuances, trial and error things, and keeping myself motivated. When I started running, well, I should say run/walking intervals, I was listening to podcasts. It was enjoyable. But one day I decided to listen to music instead, and holy moly, my pace increased significantly. For me, the faster the beat, the faster I run! My favorite pump-up jams right now are "Good Morning" by Max Frost and "Girl Gang" by Gin Wigmore. So depending on your activity and goals, the sound in your headphones might make a difference. I also wrote a cutesy "31" on my closet mirror as a daily reminder of my goal, and I've been putting up inspirational quotes on a chalkboard in my room. I came up with a couple mantras to tell myself when I'm running and I want to quit - cliche things like, "Nothing worth having comes easily."
I'm not telling you any of this to brag - trust me, my achievements and exercise habits are far from bragworthy - so I hope this doesn't come off as braggy. I'm telling you all of this in case you're considering trying something new. Exercise or eating better or cooking at home or reading or watching less TV or anything at all really. If I can cultivate a habit of running in the morning, you too can do something totally out of character and routine. You've totally got this. Commit to something and do everything you can to see it through! You only have one life to live - don't let fear or excuses prevent you from living your best life.
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