Just Do It

First of all, thank you all so, so much for your wonderful words of encouragement shared here, on facebook and instagram on Monday's post. It means more to me than I can say. Your words have encouraged me, brought tears to my eyes, and put hope in my heart.

I waited so long to share that post. I know I shared bits and pieces  along the way, but I struggled to "let it all out". The longer I waited, the more I had to keep editing the post to reflect what was happening. This alone made me crazy. I would think to myself, just do it! Just share it and then it will be out there and then you can move along. But I wouldn't. I felt strange writing if I didn't acknowledge that piece of me or would avoid those topics when I would write. Then I thought, is it weird that I write about my grief one day and lipstick another? Basically, I put way too much thought into what I was or wasn't writing and sharing.  As I mentioned, I really do gain a lot of inspiration from people who are brave enough to share their stories like that. As soon as I shared it, I was so glad that I did. Your support and encouragement makes me remember that I can't keep this journey to myself. I've referenced it before, but Hoda Kotb, (my bestie), wrote about how her life was changed when someone told her "don't hog your journey". I may not have the courage to share my story if someone else didn't have the courage to share theirs.

Our minds are very powerful. Sometimes the thoughts, fears, anxieties we create can prevent us from really living, or doing, something we may want to do. Do I always feel strong or brave? Not even close.

 Another example of this has to do with running. Before we got married, I was training for a half marathon. I was really deep into the training, and had gotten up to running 11 miles. Then, our wedding happened, honeymoon happened, and that was it for the long distance running. I never signed up for that half marathon, and so it didn't happen. Then, well, life happened. I'd be pregnant or planning to be pregnant or recovering from a treatment or miscarriage and I didn't run. The weird thing is, I've wanted to run. Nothing was stopping me but my own mind. I gave myself excuses or talked myself out of it, or told myself that I couldn't possibly get that distance back. Now I find myself almost five years later and I need to run. I think I need to prove to myself that I can do it. Lately I've gotten back out there a little bit. The first run was very slow, but I managed to run 6 miles. I feel proud of myself for doing that, and it makes me want to do more. And then, just like usual, I feel the thoughts of doubt creep in. Can I run 7 more miles? Will I be able to finish a half marathon? The answer is yes. I just need to stop thinking about it and do it. So, we plan to sign up for a half marathon for the fall, before we are ready. In doing so, the hope is the we will be ready by the time it comes around, and we will be accountable for actually running it. I guess I'm writing it down here so that we will also be accountable for signing up for one!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? How did you get motivated to make your goals happen? Any running tips for half marathon training?