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| Running in Asheville certainly provide plenty of beautiful views. |
Asheville is one of the most beautiful places to run. The Blue Ridge Mountains never get old, trails are plentiful and there are so many lush trees and wildlife. I do love that we get to live here for close to another year. But, man oh man, it is still sinking in that there just aren't many options for running if you want a break in hills. There might be one or two places where you can find a flatter area to do some pace work or a tempo run. Otherwise, suck it up buttercup and enjoy the climb! At least there are downhills to balance out the uphills. And, when you do climb up up up, there is almost always a gorgeous view waiting for you at the top. Oh, and hills keep the buns nice and tight...can't complain about that! Thank you hills.
The above picture is right around mile 3 of my 13.1 mile training run this past Friday. I set out with 15 miles in mind but once I hit the 10 mile mark, I knew that I was going to have to reevaluate my plan. Jumping into marathon training six weeks into a plan after running almost NO endurance runs since May makes for lots of catching up to do. Endurance is so much harder for me to get back this time compared to how I've felt in the past. And you know what they say about doing too much too soon....not a good idea. Slow and steady is the name of the game here. With running. With life.
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| Picking my Running Journal back up again. And yes, I did include "Hugged a Tree" as part of my notes today. |
Journals and Goals
I dusted off the Running Journal tonight. Even though I'm keeping things light and easy this time, I'm ready to be a little bit more focused and intentional with my training if I'm actually going to cover the distance of 26.2 miles on November 9th. Writing my runs down, reflecting a bit, and setting a few goals is an important part of the training process for me. It was fun looking back over the collages, reflections, training notes, and memories from the past. My Running Journal really is such a great training tool!
My personal journal has been getting a bit of love from me again too. As I flipped back over it, I remembered just how much I used to write down my goals and gratitude and how very little of that I've done recently. This was such a powerful and intentional exercise for my daily living. I'd like to spend more time in there again. Even if it is just to write a short list of gratitude and goals once a week. The thing about that is, once I start small with this, I'll find myself getting into a daily habit again. Tonight I did take some time to write down some goals I have for RIGHT NOW in life:
- Give extra LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT to my husband this week as he prepares for his marathon on Sunday. He's trained so hard and smart! I know he can run that sub 3:10 he is shooting for.
- Volunteer! Find opportunities to use my gifts to GIVE to others. Looking into volunteer work at a literacy council where I can help adults with reading.
- Be present with my kids and find JOY in the time I spend with them. These days truly are a gift (as is all of life).
- Keep my Mommy Panties out of a bunch and let more of the little things go.
- Be a bit more conscious about running/workouts. I don't have to be too absorbed in them...just a little extra attention while continuing to have fun.
- Take time for Prayer, Meditation and light Yoga poses to help me slow down/stretch/breathe.
- Be intentional and aware of my thoughts. Focusing on LOVE, seeing the positive in the world, lots of "I CANS" and "I AMs", and lots of believing that ANYTHING is possible.
- Share myself with others. I know I don't have to be an open book or share everything about myself but it's time to bring some of the walls down again and be a bit less guarded with myself.
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| Finding JOY in sharing Yoga with my kids today. We have these cards called Yoga Pretzels that make yoga poses fun for kids. This one is a partner pose called Double Dog. |
What are some of your goals? Do you keep a running journal (or running log)?
Amanda
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