PRNCSSGRL's CalorieKing blog
Wednesday, Aug 18 2010 - To full or not to full...I have the answer
View PRNCSSGRL's food & exercise for this day
A little over a week ago I took on the idea of changing the Amica half marathon into a full marathon if I could reach a certain amount of donations in my Team in Training fundraising. For three days I lost sleep, I didnt eat and I gained three pounds due to the stress of actually thinking I could do it. At the end of those three days I realized something important:
This wasnt fun anymore.
It was stressful. It was negatively impacting how I felt about myself. I was already in November when I should be sitting firmly in August. My Saturday run with Team in Training was plagued with thoughts of This is only 5 miles..how in the hell are you going to get to 26.2? Dont get me wrong, I like the idea of being the distraught fat girl comes back to save the world theory but this is not the time nor the place for me to don my orange body armor and cape with the neon BBee flashing the sky announcing my arrival.
I need this journey to be fun. I need this journey to be slow paced enough for me to learn what works and to examine what doesnt work. I need this journey to be about pushing boundaries and setting goals that are not only attainable but also achievable in a safe manner. I need to remember that 8 months ago I weighed 263 pounds and couldnt run a damn block. I need to remember that this is my journey and my negative thoughts that people will be disappointed in me if I didnt run a full marathon are just that: my thoughts.
I am sticking with the half marathon.
Ive only been on this journey for 8 months. Why am I trying to hurry to that 26.2 finish line? By the time the Amica comes around Ill have run 6 races, one triathlon and lost approximately 40% of my body weight. Not bad for a beginner
Next year will be a good time to aim for a 26.2
This is a good year to aim for 13.1
This is a good year to have fun!
This wasnt fun anymore.
It was stressful. It was negatively impacting how I felt about myself. I was already in November when I should be sitting firmly in August. My Saturday run with Team in Training was plagued with thoughts of This is only 5 miles..how in the hell are you going to get to 26.2? Dont get me wrong, I like the idea of being the distraught fat girl comes back to save the world theory but this is not the time nor the place for me to don my orange body armor and cape with the neon BBee flashing the sky announcing my arrival.
I need this journey to be fun. I need this journey to be slow paced enough for me to learn what works and to examine what doesnt work. I need this journey to be about pushing boundaries and setting goals that are not only attainable but also achievable in a safe manner. I need to remember that 8 months ago I weighed 263 pounds and couldnt run a damn block. I need to remember that this is my journey and my negative thoughts that people will be disappointed in me if I didnt run a full marathon are just that: my thoughts.
I am sticking with the half marathon.
Ive only been on this journey for 8 months. Why am I trying to hurry to that 26.2 finish line? By the time the Amica comes around Ill have run 6 races, one triathlon and lost approximately 40% of my body weight. Not bad for a beginner
Next year will be a good time to aim for a 26.2
This is a good year to aim for 13.1
This is a good year to have fun!
7 comments so far.
7.
a decade ago
ONLY a half? You are going for 13.1 miles, lady!!!! You ROCK!! I totally agree with your thinking and I love that this being a JOURNEY instead of an end point just proves that you are really living this change.
by MUDDYMAMA
6.
a decade ago
Only half a marathon, eh? Can you picture yourself even imagining a half a marathon 8 months ago?!!!! :-) You are WISE!!!! Go back to having fun.
by ABIZ
5.
a decade ago
Good going Tara!
I certainly won't be disappointed in you. In fact just reading about this makes me even more happy for you. You're getting back on track. A while back I had felt as if you might had become obsessive over all of the exercising and entering the tri but dismissed it just the same because this is your life. I still felt some what concerned that you might be putting too much on your plate too soon though.
Anyhow I'm happy to see you're having clarity of thought and like you said, you need to keep the fun in this journey. There will always be other marathons for you to run in, you're life isn't ending in a couple of months.
You know what's best for you, and I'm just glad to see you're making smart and sensible choices... *hugs*
by NEXUSNRG
4.
a decade ago
I think you're right on girl!! There is plenty of time to venture into that 26.2 mile run, but for now it is totally about enjoying the ride and the adventures that are in front of you today. Don't let anything stress you out girl. You're on fire and you're doing things that just a few short months ago you probably never thought you could do them. You're amazing!! You're going to smoke that half marathon!!!
by TNYBUBBLZ
3.
a decade ago
EXACTLY!! Get that stress out of here... Good for you on recognizing that a reverse affect was taking place and getting back to where you were.
This is a perfect year to aim for 13.1! ! !
by MRSDSB
2.
a decade ago
You've got it right. It's not about speed, but steadiness. Enjoy your accomplishments while being reasonable with yourself.
:clap:
by MENOKEO
1.
a decade ago
I'm totally with you! This shouldn't be stressful, that's for sure! Plus, all the cool kids like me only do 1/2s. I'm glad that you were able to take stock of all your accomplishments. What you've done in 8 months has taken me 16. So there!
:laugh5:
by AWH617