Making Myself Awesome

I want to say so much about the past few days that it's hard to know where to begin. I guess I'll start by saying that I have been active for twenty-one days straight now. It feels so good to say that, and it feels really good to say that I feel healthier and stronger already! Here is the breakdown of the past few days...

Day 18 (Friday) - early morning (4:45) core workout and 175 squats! Yes, that's right, 175 squats! WOOHOOO!

Day 19 (Saturday, and my favorite) - I participated in the Ten Mile Run to the Brewery sponsored by Blue Point Brewery. I will talk more about this later, but let me just say this was FABULOUS!

Day 20 (Sunday) - some yoga/Pilates blend. I wasn't feeling totally up to par so I took it easy, which is okay by me. After running ten miles on Saturday my body needed a bit of a rest.

Day 21 (Monday) - TurboFire Fire 30 (one of my favorite go to workouts) and some squats. Today was a test day for my squat challenge so my usual squats will take place tomorrow.

Okay, so now on to the ten-miler. This would probably be easier if I numbered my reasons why this was so wonderful (I'll do my best to keep this short and to the point)...

1. Last year I was scheduled to run this, but due to some personal stuff going on I decided not to push myself and let it slide. This was the start of my downward spiral, and I kick myself every day for letting myself "give up." So, completing this race on Saturday was a mental thing as much as a physical one. I needed to do this for myself, to convince myself that it could be done, and to make up for the fact that I fell flat on my fitness face last January. In a way, I needed to say to myself NOT AGAIN!

2. I got to hang out with some of my favorite people. Both pre and post race I got to see people from various walks of life! Most importantly, I got to see some of my favorite running inspirations. Many times I have been asked if I am inspired by the "famous" runners out there, the Olympians, the world record holders. And to answer that question, yes I am. I think that what they do is truly impressive and I am in total awe of such individuals who are natural runners. However, I am most inspired by friends who have pushed me and encouraged me in my running journey. Two of these inspirations are my friends Tracy and Joe. Tracy is somewhat responsible for me realizing how much I loved running and pushing me to register for my first ever race. She introduced me to John Bingham's books, and is always there to offer running advice. I am also inspired by how hard Tracy works and her commitment to her training and races. Joe is Tracy's husband and I am constantly inspired by his pure running awesomeness. He makes it look so easy! Below are pictures post-race of both Tracy and Joe and myself! I just want to say thanks to them, for the encouragement and constant inspiration!!! (Disclaimer, as I said before this is a run to the brewery...in the pictures below we are enjoying the provided post-race refreshments!)

3. Finally, reason number three why Saturday was so awesome. I have to say that this may not have been my best race physically (although I did finish under the time I had set as my goal), it was most certainly an amazing race mentally and emotionally. I just felt so truly happy the entire time! I loved cheering on the front runners as they passed us back of the race folk around mile seven (mile four for me). I loved getting to cheer for people as I passed mile seven and they were passing mile four! I loved the support on the side of the road! Seriously, the woman holding the sign that said "I'm a newbie and you inspire me," may have made me tear up a little. I loved one of the volunteers who cheered every runner on and gave out free high fives! I loved the woman who was handing out water in her holiday colored plastic cups and I certainly loved the post-race atmosphere! I am pretty sure that I was the crazy looking runner with a smile plastered to my face the whole time. But then again, wanting to get up and run ten miles on a Saturday morning probably means that I am a little bit of crazy to begin with!

So I might not have been the first in my age group, or the fastest (or the slowest) runner out there on Saturday. I was just a middle of the pack runner enjoying my Saturday morning...and let me tell you, it made me feel awesome! Ten miles didn't kill me, in fact it was wonderful! And I'm registered for my next half marathon (May) which will be equally as awesome!