Thursday, December 22, 2011

What the heart whispers (and a Ryder's Eyewear winner)

It started snowing on my way home from work yesterday. Of course the closer  I got to home the more snow there was and the worse the roads got.   There was even someone rolled in the ditch.  Drive for the conditions people!  The last couple miles of interstate towards my house can be a pretty nasty stretch.  I see a lot of accidents and people in the ditch because they drive too fast for the conditions.  Sometimes I take the gravel county road as far as I can before I have to hop on the interstate so I don't have to deal with the idiots on the road.  Makes for 7 less miles of interstate and idiots.

I got in a 30 minute elliptical workout, I had been hoping to run, but I felt sore today so I decided to keep it low impact.  Then I threw in a 25 minute HIIT workout and was beat!  I don't usually get in a good workout on the days I work unless I get off early so this felt really good!

Winner of the Ryders Eyewear giveaway is Jerilee from Mom's Gone Running !  Congrats Jerilee and great job getting in that 20 miler on Monday!

I saw this saying today and wanted to share.  I think within all of us this battle happens.  


"It's impossible" said pride.
"It's risky" said experience
"It's pointless" said reason
"Give it a try" whispered the heart


I remember when I started thinking about racing.  I thought about it for years.  I wanted to do it, but didn't have to guts to get out there and do it.  I was finally encouraged by a friend to do it and have not regretted it.  Then my friend Carla started encouraging me to think about doing a half, and I kept telling myself I couldn't run that far.  I am not a distance runner.  I will get my butt kicked.   (i know so what, right?)  Where would I find the time to train? So many excuses as to why I couldn't run a half marathon.

I really was convinced my body was not meant to run farther than 6 miles.  (Laughable now)

But she had planted the seed.

My heart starting whispering to me and I kept trying to deny that I could do it.  Where would I find the time to train for a half?  13.1 miles was too far!  Two years later I have run four half marathons and twenty-some shorter race,but the half  is now my favorite distance. 

Running in general has brought so much to my life.  I have met great new people both locally at races and in the blog world.  It gives me a whole new sense of accomplishment and purpose.  Don't get me wrong I wasn't wondering around lost without a purpose, but it brings a new and healthy focus to my life.  I love what it has brought to my life. I feel like it has made me more outgoing and I am an introvert.

 Listen to your heart!  Really you have a choice  You can sit there and go through life wishing you had tried X or you can get up and figure out how to get it done.  I wish I would have started running in races earlier.  Now I think why did I wait until I was 32 to really get into it when I thought about it for so long!  No sense in wasting time on regret though!


With all that in mind I am thinking "What shall I do in 2012, that I have been wanting to do" I have to admit as excited as I am to be doing Hood to Coast this year I am also a little terrified of it.

A 200 mile relay with 11 other people most of whom I don't even know.

In a place I have never been too, hundreds of miles away from home.

To a VERY BIG CITY!  (please don't make me drive with all those lanes of traffic)!

By the end I will be running on a dangerously low amount of sleep.  (very scary just ask my husband)

Did I mention I don't even know who 7 of my teammates are going to be? and 2 of them I have only met once!

"It's impossible" said pride.
"It's risky" said experience
"It's pointless" said reason
"Give it a try" whispered the heart
What is your heart whispering for you to try that has you running scared?
For heaven's sake I can't even bring myself to type the freaking word mare uh thon , even that makes me want to vomit. are you reading this Rachelle?  You keep pestering me. So there it is, out there.  I am thinking about it.

18 comments:

  1. I'm scared to go into work today after walking out yesterday :P ps: I saw your comment on running around my kitchen re: running relationships :( xoxox love you girl

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  2. I think you'd rock at a marathon. :) The Hood to Coast sounds fun, well as much as trying to sleep in a sweat scented van can be, haha.

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  3. You would be awesome at the marathon!! A friend has tried to talk me into a 50 miler in 2013 and that makes me very scared.

    Yay for sunglasses! Thank you so much!!

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  4. You can do it - it's the next logical progression after the 1/2 :) And Hood to Coast looks like an awesome experience:)

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  5. You should do a marathon. I know you have it in you. The one thing that I found hard about doing a marathon was all the training miles you have to get in. It takes alot of time. It was also an amazing experince. Their is nothing like crossing that finish line. I had only done a 20k before I did my first marathon. You will love it.

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  6. When faced with something that I'm unsure about, I always tell myself to go ahead and do it, that I'll be glad I did. And you know what? I always am. I ran my first marathon at age 47. If I can do it, you can too!

    And I'll be running the H2C again this year. It is such a blast, you will love it! Maybe I'll get to see you! :)

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  7. You would probably BQ on your first attempt :)

    I hear you on the idiot drivers--we had a blizzard here last night (prob the same as yours!) and people are all over the road!!

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  8. Congrats on running Hood to Coast this year, it sounds so awesome!!! And you HAVE to do a marathon and don't even pretend think, "one and done." because you will absolutely get hooked! And you'll kick some butt too :) I agree with you on the half, it's my favorite distance as well!

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  9. You definitely have the umph for a marathon. Believe me if I can do it you can do it 10 fold. Go for it!

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  10. yeah I agree with Heather, you have the mileage and the drive - I would go for it!

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  11. Hood to Coast is my dream run, I bet it will be a bit terrifying but awesome all at the same time!

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  12. I love this post. You are going to EXCEL at Hood to Coast. You were MADE for Hood to Coast.

    Love those posters... I may borrow them!

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  13. Christy, you are an amaaazing running. Can't believe how many races you've packed into these last couple years, that's more than most people in this lifetime!
    And you so very equipped to run a marathon, you are going to do SO so well. I have ZERO doubt in my head, I seriously mean that! Can't wait to find out more about your brewing marathon ideas :)

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  14. (that was supposed to say amazing runner, not running) oops!

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  15. Half way through watching H2C I knew that one day I would run an endurance relay. I just found out this week that day has come. I'm now on a team to run Ragnar Colorado. Now that it's actually going to happen I'm kind of freaking out about it :)

    I would also love to be able to run my first ultra along with my already planned 12 in 2012.

    The new year is going to be fabulous!

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  16. LOVE that quote...my heart always whispers to push on, it needs to send the message to rest of me! LOVE IT :)

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  17. This gives me chills. I can relate to so much. I don't think my non-running friends really understand teh depth of life running has brought to me also. you are doing so phenominally. keep chasing those dreams girl!

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  18. this is a GREAT post. very inspirational and i love the quote.

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