Conquering Mountains

First note of the day: I hate stoplights. I know they're there to help SAVE lives, but I hate them.

Today I didn't want to go running. I laid in bed an extra twenty minutes just to psych myself up enough to get up and go exercise. Even then, I dragged myself into the bathroom and thought, "No way am I going to be able to do that." That kind of negative self-talk is seriously dangerous because it quickly becomes true as I begin to believe myself. So, to nip it in the butt, I decided to pick up a book I've been reading called Running with Angels. Besides the usual motivation that book provides me, I found this amazing quote in it:

"It is not the mountains we conquer,

but ourselves."

- Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to conquer Mt. Everest

Motivated, I got ready and went running.

Right before I ran out the door, I remembered that today I had a new Nike + to add to my iPod. Awesome. So, I did it and I hereby love the Nike+.

 

But, I still hate traffic lights. Just as I would get my breathing right where it should be (and my running was therefore easier and almost calming), I would come up to the only traffic light on my run and have to stop and wait for the little white walking man. This, obviously, killed the breathing thing and I struggled the rest of the run to get it back. Grrrr.

Still, with the help of the Nike+ (have I mentioned how much I love that little machine?? Sorry to sound like an ad), I managed to run 2.59 miles today, for 35:41, with an average speed of 13:45.

Here's the best news of all, though. I've been tracking my exercise online at this great site called Live Strong, which is a site started by Lance Armstrong. It's wonderful. I can track minutes and miles, and report my experiences to a publicly posted running journal. I've found I look forward to coming home with a report each time I workout.  Anyhow, I highly recommend it.

Today, though, marks the last day of the month. I started looking over this last month and realized that I have been exercising regularly since January 10. In that time (21 days), I have exercised 15 days, for 435 minutes of total workout time. That means an average workout is 29 minutes long. This was really exciting to me! I believe I am developing good habits, and I hope to keep them forever. I also am beginning to see the benefits of my workouts in my body, and my spirit. Most of all, I am conquering personal demons, particularly those that say there's, "No way am I going to be able to do that," and, of course, those stupid stoplights.

So, muddle onward, running friends. It can only get better from here!