No Snooze Button…

Today was a crazy day for me!  I had it planned out in my head as to how it would go, but you know what happens to best laid plans.  My training the last few days has been tough.  Knees and shins are hurting and the bike training has changed how my muscles feel making my stride harder to find some days – like today.  My pace times are good but it takes a little while to settle in and that has been frustrating.

  Official half marathon and triathlon training doesn’t start until February 1st, but I started unofficially on Saturday and have been getting after it pretty hard.  I got home from the gym after a really hard strength training and sprinting session waaay too tired to make the dinner I had planned so I threw together brown rice, snap peas, broccoli, water chestnuts, snap peas, chicken, and carrots.  It was quick, easy  and hit the spot for us.  Every night my girls and I – no matter how busy we are – make time to sit down and eat together.  Tonight, it was just my older daughter, Taylor and hearing about her day cheered me up,  but I was still dwelling on the training pieces and frustrated with my day.  After dinner, Taylor had homework to do and I logged on to update my training log.  I found exactly what I needed within a few minutes.  My friend Meghan has an amazing blog called Life in the Mile High dedicated to her training for an upcoming marathon and it’s been a tremendous source of inspiration for me on my own training program. 

Today, her post was about not wanting to get out of bed, but finding the motivation to do it anyway by way of a Nike ad… I read it and was reminded that it’s not always about the good runs, the easier days… it’s about all of it.  The good, the bad, the painful, the precious, the sacrifice, and the glory.  Thanks for the reminder Meghan…

You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you. You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles.  Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior. You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer’s tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it. You decided to be woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer… and we ran with you. How much farther will we go? As far as you will.”  ~Nike