Hi there. It’s Friday the 13th. Are you superstitious? I’m not. And frankly yesterday everything was weird and messy so I’m hoping to be in the clear today.

I’m headed to Dr. Williams in a few minutes for my 4th ART and Graston. I’m excited to tell him I made it to 4 miles yesterday.

4 mile run

4 miles

The only issue happened about 1/4 mile before I stopped running my knee gave out and I felt the limp come on but within a minute it worked itself out and I was ok so I ran the rest of the way. Bottom line is that the knee is improving but I still have more work to be done before I am “healed”. At least I didn’t feel so sluggish and sore like I did on Wednesday’s run. I actually felt sick all day Wednesday and came home and got under the covers so I’m wondering if I might have just been fighting something.

fighting something

fighting something

And before I got under the covers I checked my mailbox and low and behold I got 2 running catalogs….SHOCKER! =)

Running catalogs

Running catalogs

Thank god I feel better now. My 4 miles was still slow but I didn’t feel slow. Funny how the same pace can feel so hard one day and so easy the next.

Oh and I’m headed to the NYC Half Marathon Expo this afternoon after my Chiropractor appointment. I’m going to tell Dr. Williams my plan although now I think I’ve adjusted it again. I’m going to walk 9 miles and run the last 4.

So that brings me to my post title. I was listinening to my music yesterday while running and this one lyric stuck in my head:

Giving up is not an option.

Sometimes it’s easy to want to give up. It seems easier to deal with it if you just give up. Right? Imagine if I gave up on life after my husband died? I would’t have discovered running. I wouldn’t have Duncan. I wouldn’t have had the most amazing life experiences that paralleled my journey through my grief. I wouldn’t have met Mr. SOTSS. The list goes on and on.

So back to running…so many things might get you down…an injury, not attaining a race PR, not seeing progress. But the key is not to give up. Just make accommodations for where you are right now. If you’re injured (like me) be proud of the minor signs of healing like making it 4 miles instead of 3. If you didn’t reach that PR maybe you should choose another race and train to have fun rather than shoot for a time goal. If you’re not seeing progress shift your focus to something else like focusing on your running form or trying out new gear. But don’t ever just say “that’s it I’m done”. And don’t let discouragement knock you down. (Yes, I sort of wrote this for my own ears here!) Accept and accommodate the roadblocks and figure out a way to navigate through in a way that will keep you fulfilled and with a smile on your face. On that note I’m thinking I might have to evaluate my normal fueling needs for a half. I’ll be out on the course for 3 hours which is at least 45 minutes longer than I normally would be so I might need a little more fuel.

Speaking of fuel…Duncan was a little overzealous this morning with his breakfast. Um, that’s the container I store an entire bag of food in…

breakfast of champions

breakfast of champions

He’s really been cute in the mornings lately too.

pillows are the best invention

pillows are the best invention

Ok before I go all doodle picture crazy I better sign off.

 

So what words do you find powerful or inspirational?

Do you ever find yourself wanting to give up on something hard? How do you handle it?

I noticed some tightness in my left hammy after my back to back weekend runs. As of yesterday I was planning on skipping today’s 4 mile hill workout. But last night I bounced on my trampoline to warm my muscles and then did some stretching and today I felt good. So I packed my gym bag (and didn’t forget anything this time!) and at 11:45 am left the office with my new found excitement for a treadmill workout. Conspiracy theory??

This is what I saw:

photo 4

renovations…without major interuption in service!

“Without major interruption in service”….um…I’m sorry but when all treadmills (we’re talking 30+) are unavailable on a day I arrive to do a running workout that IS major interruption in service to me thank you very much.

photo 5

it’s an elliptical treadmill pile up!

Ironically I took it very we’ll and immediately conjured up a plan B!

I remembered reading somewhere that the stepmill is the closest in comparison to hill running so I jumped on and climbed 188 floors!! (That’s more than the Empire State Building according to the little computer cues) 25 minutes later and I was soaked.

photo 3

I got to put my initials in for one of the best climbs of the week. I guess there aren’t many members of this gym who like to climb…

I finished out my session with 15 min of easy biking to complete a total of 40 min which is what my 4 mile run would have taken me anyway. Sometimes the world emphasizes what decisions we need to make 🙂 (And I’m not just talking about workout swaps…I’m deep!)

And wow did I forget how sweaty a stepmill workout can make me.

I’ve decided I am going to start adding in some mental workouts into my training.

photo 1

clear the mind

All kidding aside I want to start a little positive affirmation journal of some sort. I need to keep working on that inner strength. 🙂 UPDATE: I just added this page to the top nav bar of my blog for some visual inspirational quotes. I’ll let you know as I add more. This seems like a good place to start.

I came home to a package of goodies that I ordered. I’ve been treating myself to a lot of goodies lately. Eh, I’m worth it =) Fancy swiss hair care and skin care products. I’ve used most of these before but I did buy a few new items. Can’t wait to try out the hair masque! The cold dry winter air is doing a number on my curls. They need a good quenching. (anyone else think quenching is just such a weird word?).

photo copy

product!

Well now that it’s 1am I better go to bed or I’m gonna need toothpicks to keep my eyes open tomorrow. (where do these expressions come from, right??!!)

Happy Hump Day!

Question: What positive quotes help you get through your day or your workout?