MBN - 86!!! I'm jealous! This is one of those times when I miss living in Central FL. Today we are snowed in!

My running had to kind of go on hiatus for a couple of days because the weather has been so bad. We had the snowstorm of the century (well, not quite...but bad) and even driving the 0.75 miles to the gym seems a bit much! And walking it, NO thanks! I've been doing workouts at home for the last day or two, and hopefully if they get the roads cleared up enough for tomorrow, I can head out and go for a run. I miss it!! I also have a 5K on Saturday so would love to get one more practice run in before that.

I am glad you posted that. I have been doubting that i can do this, so it helps to hear others who I admire once felt the same way.

Ditto!!

Purple and Mom - I remember that doubt very well, especially in the beginning. Heck I even remember thinking that during my first 5k! lol! It does get easier. I think I hated running for probably the first 6-7 weeks -I kept thinking, WHY do people do this to themselves?? - and then it just kind of clicked and I fell in love with it. My improvements came in spurts... it was never a continuous improvement. But when you hit those milestones, it really helps motivate you to keep pushing yourself.

Fat- couldnt agree more about the improvements coming in spurts!! for me, the spurts occured whenever i woulfd break thru some sort of mental barrier that had been holding me back--whether it was a DISTANCE barrier ( ie; i could never un as far as THAT!) or a Speed barrier ( i will never be THAT fast) or a physical limitation barrier. One day you tell that voice to shut up, or you decide to stop living in FEAR of possibly being uncomfortable becuz you are pushing yourself..... and it clicks!! A spurt! the next level, whatever!!!!

Weve ALL BEEN THERE ladies!!!

Definitely! In the first 6 months of running those milestones are what kept me going when I felt like giving up. Just when I would feel like I wasn't getting anywhere or was still struggling with a particular distance/time/even a hill, I would conquer it. It's like your spirit is renewed just when you felt like giving up or were having doubts about whether or not you could do this! The bottom line is, the commitment to doing the hard work always pays off!

I know for me, as a formerly obese person, the idea of being physically uncomfortable or having to work very hard at something is sometimes scary or at the very least, not really something I was happy to do. I remember the frustration with my obesity very well when it came to running.... lol, the first week I ran, I felt like I needed Spanx for my belly because it jiggled so much!

Honestly now when I'm whining through a run or I am having trouble pushing myself, MK's quote in her signature comes to mind - get comfortable being uncomfortable. We aren't Kenyans... running will very difficult at times! We have to push ourselves to reap the benefits and get the rewards.

Now I've just motivated myself to run at the gym today. ha!

So I was planning to do couch to 5k mon, wed & fri, and do videos on tues & thursday, but today the wind was so redicuous here! its frigid, 28, feels like 18, wind gusts up to 37 mph. so I did a 30 min jilliam micheals video today, and will run tomorrow. I have never wanted to run before!

Thanks for all the awesome posting on meeting goals, striving, pushing yourself, and being uncomfortable. I am not comfortable in uncomfortable situations, but I am getting better!I can't wait for the first milestone I am so glad to have found you guys.

I did an hour of strength training today and now my arms feel as achy as my legs it's okay though...discomfort will help in the end.

Fat Pants (when are you going to change your handle? ), I think you make a very important point about embracing being uncomfortable. That's my theory about why so many people hate/avoid exercise in general. The *feelings* of exertion - sweating, breathing hard, increased heart rate - are very similar to the feelings associated with stress. For people who aren't used to exercise, it just feels wrong or negative. Couple that with sore muscles and the fact that results don't come immediately (and folks tend to overdo initially), it's no wonder that people just give up. They only see the pain, not the payoff.

However, if you persist past the initial phases, eventually several things happen. Exercise gets easier as you become more fit. The "uncomfortable" feelings start to seem more normal. You eventually get to the point where you are working out hard and long enough to get that endorphin high. You start to feel GREAT after working out. You want more of that. You push harder, see more improvements. Now it's fun. Sweating and breathing hard and pushing past your limits is a GOOD feeling. Exercise stops being an awful chore and is now the highlight of your day, time just for you, an uplifting experience, where you come out pumped up, energized and ready to tackle the world. And who wouldn't want to feel that way every single day?

Maybe I'm nuts, but that's how it worked for me. But for many people, getting past that initial "ugh, this is awful" phase is a huge hurdle. It takes time, and consistent effort, to get past that. OK, that's my philosophical ramble for the day ....

and what a beautiful one it was...


...1.5 miles is my goal for today. legs aren't really sore anymore, so should have no problems with it.

MBN - yep, that's exactly what it was for me. I just didn't like the physical feeling of exercise. Tired legs, breathing hard, sweating - all those things were very uncomfortable and not fun. When I first joined a gym a few years ago, I would go for 20-25 minutes on the elliptical and feel like I was working so hard... but I barely ever saw any results. So I thought, why would I put myself through something uncomfortable if there is not a reward from it? Then I changed gyms and hired a trainer who worked me HARD. I barely lost any weight but the inches were melting off - being able to finally see results and getting it through my thick head that I had to REALLY push myself to see results is what made it click.

It definitely does get easier. And after those first 6 weeks or so of running and I suddenly started seeing improvements, it became very fun and encouraging. I love to push myself now. I think it's fun to sweat. Mostly I get caught up in the physical movement of running...especially when I really let myself go and run as fast as I can. It's very freeing!

I agree too! The biggest thing for me was getting over the "sweating thing". I know that sounds stupid but, for me, I associated sweating with being out of shape so it embarrassed me to be so sweaty. It felt like a judgement of some kind, KWIM?

Then it finally sunk in to me that very fit people sweat too! D'oh! Now, it feels like an accomplishment, not a negative judgement..it feels GOOD to sweat. Imagine that

Mom- i sweat MORE now that i am uber runner girl than i ever did!! Its a sign of a healthy, active "Cooling system"!! I literally can WRING OUT my clothing after i work out, i sweat so much!!

I know! Crazy right? Now, I view those sweat soaked clothes as badges of honor! The sweatier the better

So I didnt run today (or do a video, or take the stairs at school) because I'm having a tightness in the muscles both on front of & behind my lower left leg. i was wondering (from you avid runners) is this pain likely from my shoes, or maybe something more serious?