Thursday, 04/22/10

I have to give a shout out to my girl PangChee. I'm so proud of you!!! 3 miles in 31 minutes. You'll be zipping by me. Keep up the good work. I'm also addicted to the feeling after the run. I remember watching the Biggest Loser and one of the contestants was telling the viewers she was in love with running and ran 10 miles everyday. I thought for sure she was just saying it for television drama, but I have to say I'm starting to love it as well. I look forward to it and also love the feeling afterwards.

I had a tough day. I got complacent with my running workouts. Saul switched it up on me and it shook me up a bit mentally and physically. We stretched first and ran 1.5 mile as a warm up. Little did I know, the second part of the training was going to kick my ass. He had me run up a hill. The hill didn't look that steep, but after 6 runs my legs felt like jello. The first run up the hill was tough and mentally I was breaking down and even said "I can't do this." Yes, I said that. It goes against everything this blog is about. To be honest, I was disappointed with myself. Why? It reminded me of my old self. I thought I got rid of her, but every once in a while she creeps up again. Damn that old Hua, but Saul didn't let me give up. I wasn't able to do 12 laps, but I managed 6 laps. We cooled down with a light run. This running session was a lot harder than the 4.5 mile run last Sunday. I could feel and hear my heart rate rising. Yes, there were tears at the corner of my eyes. Part of it was the wind, debris, and just me mentally trying to beat the negative thoughts. I did it and I'm proud of the 6 laps. It'll get better and I know it'll get tougher. I need it to hurt in order to push past the pain. I ran a total of 3 1/4 mile today. We walked after the run to bring my heart rate at a normal level. By the time I got home and got out of my car, my body was aching. It's still aching right now, but I like the aching feeling because I know I worked hard.

Nothing comes easy otherwise the euphoric feeling after the run wouldn't be as rewarding. I'm at the second stage of my training and I need to mentally talk myself through it. The body will follow the mind. I have to let go of the negative thoughts. Sometimes the mind is slow to catch up with the physical body, but I have to remember I'm not the same girl a year ago. Yes, I can and I will. I'm going to work on it and remind myself not to say "I can't do this." I know I can.

Keep pushing hard! I will too.

Much love,
Hua-