Getting Through It and Morning Fruit

It was a rainy morning.  The alarm went off and I got up, went through the ritual of brushing teeth, putting on workout clothes and tying back hair, then I went downstairs and laid on the sofa to listen to the rain. I fell asleep.  When the kitchen light went on, because Ted was getting ready to workout, I went back upstairs, got under the comforter and fell asleep once again while listening to the rain. 

I love listening to the rain but never allow myself time to stay in bed and enjoy it.  This morning I did. There were no regrets about missing a workout. It was wonderful getting a couple of extra hours sleep while enjoying the lullaby of raindrops. 

Tuesday afternoon, as much as I hated it, I got that 70 minute run in.  One of the bathrooms in the house was being fixed so the water was turned off. All I had to drink was Gatorade.  It would be an experiment in liquid fuel since I never drink a lot of Gatorade on a run.  MISTAKE!  As I ran, my stomach kept getting more bloated.  The workout was 30 minutes easy running then 20 minutes at steady pace (7:20) and finally back to 20 minutes of easy running.  My stomach was blown up and I felt very, VERY nauseous. 

The good: Got the workout in, 8.35 miles. The bad: Felt like crap.

A meaningful quote:

Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up. By Amby Burfoot, The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life

Ted and I are trying something different for a 5K race at the Turning Stone on Friday night. We’re going to ride our bikes out there, 23 miles, run/jog the 5K and then ride the bikes home. It will be my longest bike ride ever: 46 miles. It will most likely be my slowest 5K ever but that’s ok. I’ll be going along, hand in hand with my hubby and it will be fun.

Hopefully the long bike ride and the slow run doesn’t ruin me for Sunday when I run the half marathon. I’d like to get a good time for that but if not, there will be others. In any event, I’m creating a situation for myself that has some unknowns. That hypes up my anxiety level more so than usual when preparing for a race. It’s when I do things like that to myself when I need a little inspiration which leads me to the following.

Sometimes we are faced with scary situations. Situations we volunteered for and some we didn’t. In either case, we need to find a way to face them head on, get ourselves through the nervousness and doubt and progress forward. We know the outcome won’t always be what we want but in the end, at least we can say we got through it and didn’t turn and run.

I had a Park Saddlebred long ago, her name was Cari. She was gorgeous but a bit on the wild side. Most of the time, the trainer showed her. Once in a while, I mustered up the courage and went in the ring. After suffering through bouts of rearing

(which is much more dangerous than bucking),

you can imagine my anxiety level when going into the show ring on Cari.

I was able to continue riding to compete by reading a few inspirational quotes. These are the ones that helped the most.

Determination: Determination turns obstacles into opportunities.

*Cari showed in Park classes and won on several occasions. She was too pretty not to be noticed.

Persistence: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

*Maybe you’ve seen those words of inspiration from successories

This one is my favorite.

A dream is a daring adventure. A journey to carry you far. For when you can hold a dream in your heart, you surely can reach any star!

A dream is a beautiful vision that looks beyond what you can see. Then lifts you and guides you and grows strong inside you to help you to be all you can be.

A dream is your door to tomorrow. A secret reflection of you. A threshold that leads to a wonderful future where nothings to good to be true.

Do you have a favorite quote? Words of inspiration?

Do you constantly put yourself in situations that fill you with anxiety and stress?

Morning Fruit Bowl

Ted and I both share a big bowl of fruit to start our morning.  It’s teamed with a source of protein, either an omelet with vegetables, a bowl of oatmeal or a whey protein shake.  This morning it was simply a bowl of fruit sprinkled with 1/4 cup of Kashi cereal. 

For 2 bowls: 

• 1 grapefruit – halved and sectioned
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 6 strawberries, cut in half
• 4 pieces of melon
• …and Ted had half a banana

I love the crunch of Kashi

Sometimes I’ll simply add a tablespoon of almonds and raisins.  There’s something about eating fruit first thing in the morning that

seems so right.  It’s like ensuring that there be a little bit of sunshine in your day even if it’s raining.