Mind over Matter

I ran a 5K this morning. 

Not an amazing feat to many people, but quite the accomplishment to me.  At one point in my life I had many reasons why I never thought I could run even a few feet let alone several miles.   A few of those were physical reasons: I hadn't run in a long while; my foot was healing from a horrible break; I felt like hell whenever I did try to run.  Not to mention all the outside forces I conjured up such as blaming the kids, work and school for eating up my precious time. 

All reasonable excuses -- wouldn't you say?

But perhaps Nike actually did say it best--"Just DO IT!" 

I had to MENTALLY get over all of these seemingly physical restrictions in order to be at that starting line this morning.

And it was haaard!   I really just wanted to stay in bed.  But then I started that internal dialogue (O come on! you know you have them with yourself too!) and the first thing I told myself was that I could do it.  I had done it before and I could do it again.   The first barrier was defeated! 

The next thing I had to do?  Give myself permission to fail. 

Wait, wait -- WHAT?!

Yes you heard me- FAIL.  I allowed that I I knew I could FINISH this race.  I gave myself the gift of walking.  Which in my mind is a failure.  Because it is a race and everyone knows that if you race you must win. Or at least try to win.  And that doesn't allow for walking!  

But, my dear friends, we were about to change our reality. Or at least I was.  I was going to allow in my world the existence of a race that does not need to be won.  No restrictions other than showing up and finishing.  In what ever time it took.  And knowing that whatever else, I could walk 3.2 miles without any problem.  If I could jog it, even better! 

O sure, I had a number in my head. 35 minutes.  I wanted to be done in 35 minutes.  I knew I could last that long at the gym on the elliptical.  Hell!  I could now maintain 45 minutes at the same speed on the machines.  Even better-- I have worked up to 45 minutes of cardio and and hour of weight training so this was going to be a PIECE OF CAKE!!!!

RAWRRR!!  I was so going to kick.  this. 5. k's. ASS!!  YES!!

But I was just getting over this chest cold, and my nose was runni...SHUT UP!  NOPE!  Not gonna listen!!
LALALLALALLLAALALLA!!!!

You can and you will!   Set a pace and go was what I told myself. 

And I did.

Yes, I walked some.  Yes, my chest cold acted up. 

But as I crossed that finish line (jogged across it, thank you very much!) I felt good.  I wasn't tired. I wasn't winded.  And the clock said 36 minutes!. 

Yay me! 

"It's a simple thing, this mind over matter.  If you don't mind it, it don't matter!"  ~I don't know who might have said it originally, but my dad was forever telling me this when I was growing up. And as much as it kills me to admit it, he was right!!