#neverquit

I admire Josh Cox. He is an athlete, and by all outward appearances, a man of God. I appreciate that. He puts forward his faith above all else, and I do admire that. He is currently the American Record holder for the 50k. A record he has set and reset. So I follow Josh on twitter, and I read almost every post, hoping for some insight and guidance for my running. he recently has added the hash tag "#neverquit". words that followed me through my run today. I ran 7 miles. and for the first time, didn't quit. by that I mean, I did not stop to walk so I could catch my breath or offer my aching legs a little relief from the pounding. I also did not stop for water, (not advisable) for hydration. I was motivated and, while I wanted to quit, due to Josh's simple act of placing that hash tag at the end of his posts, I did not quit. now... my legs hurt, I'm tired, I know that in the morning I will be sore, I'm still thirsty, even though I have drank a lot of water... but I feel I have accomplished something. I feel good. scratch that, I feel great. I am more motivated than I have been in a long time. I also have a goal to work towards, which is the mountain mist 50k in January. I know that Josh will probably never read this, and for that I am grateful. I don't want him to think I have a man crush on him. but the hash, #neverquit, will be in my head every time I run.

I also forgot to turn right.... If I had only turned right, I could ahve saved my self 3 miles. but, I turned left.... damn it.

Train

So I have been training regularly with the Captain, at 0530 every morning... we run and lift weights. Unfortunately I have let my upper body slip, and have little upper body strength. That has changed over the last 3 weeks. I will get back to updating the BS more often with updates. as to what happens... Also, Jiu Jitsu.

1/23-1/30

I put in 15 miles this week... Soon though, I begin a whole new workout routine with the Captain. I am looking forward to it.

1/16 - 1/22

I am working on getting back into a routine after the holidays. this week was only 6 miles.

12/19-12/25

No running. Knee injury. Starting running either today or tomorrow, at altitude.

12/12-12/18

22 miles. Terrible. Well, maybe not. I really only did three days of running. So, I suppose 22 miles in three days is not so bad. Today (12/20) and tomorrow will be filled with running, because I will be on the road on the 22nd. I am much looking forward to running in Arizona though, and hopefully get in some good hiking. Might even get to go play some golf. I can only hope. Just read this and liked it:

Here are a few things to remember the next time you go out for a run.

1. Work to put yourself in tough situations in training. If you always avoid what is difficult in practice then you will have little experience to draw upon in races. If you can sometimes make training more difficult than what you expect to happen in racing then you will increase your opportunity for success.
2. Accept that negative self-talk will enter into your head in both training & racing. Once you have accepted it then throw it in the trash. It doesn’t help and only begins to send you down the path to failure. Accept that you are human and your mind is engineered to steer you away from tough situations. However, also accept that you can control which path you go down so sometimes taking the difficult road is what you need to reach new heights.
3. Understand that you are an emotional being. Do not deny the role that emotions have in your life. The more you understand your emotions and how they can sway you without direction the more you will then learn how to control them. Remember that you are the driver. With practice you can change your perceptions of tough situations. So… get out there and start practicing.
4. Remember that your frame of mind is everything. As my coach said to me when I was competing… “If running was that easy then everyone would do it and everyone would win. It’s not, so get out there and get tougher. It’s the best way to get you what you want out of this sport”.
5. If you don’t see that the opportunity for the reward is not greater than the risk of failure than loss is imminent. The pursuit must be worth it. Think big, train hard and be ready to handle the situations that will occur.
6. Nervousness, fear, anxiety are the inevitability of sport. Without these it is not exciting. Without these are adrenaline levels don’t rise and our performances will not reach their peak. Embrace these feelings as drivers towards success. Use them to give you added energy to go faster, go longer and reach new levels of performance.
7. If you can’t see it you can’t do it. Start to see it happen in your mind while you are training and while you are relaxing. Mental confidence to hit a goal comes over time. It is as much a part of the training plan as the physical work. This confidence is what elevates training on a daily basis. It helps to make smart decisions on and off the track. If you can clearly see yourself reach the goal then it all becomes about connecting the dots on race day

12/5-12/11

A solid week of running. Although most of my running was done by myself, because Teacher did not want to get out in the cold. (I don't blame him!!!) Monday was 5? I think. It was with Teacher, and it was cold. Tuesday was on my own at N. Farm, and more cold. Wednesday was the coldest, with Temps not breaking 30 degrees. I did not run far. Because it was cold. Very cold. Thursday I ran a few miles around the house, and Friday I put in 7 at N. Farm. I found out that I like running around the trails at N. Farm and Rambunctious Puppy likes the trails more. So we've put several miles around the trails. Saturday morning I went for three at N. Farm. It was cold at first, but after a while, I actually warmed up and forgot that I was running in the cold.

Miles for the week: 26.

Monthly miles: 53.

*Edited to Add - I also just found out that I have an awesome blister on my left foot. Excitement has ensued.