Mind Ruling Body

Something to keep in mind:


"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."


-General George Patton

I'm the chicken on the right!

Daily Mile

I found the coolest thing- Daily Mile! Notice the new widget on the right side of my blog page. You can track your workouts- what type of workout, where it was, how long, how you feel afterward, etc. etc. You can see how many miles you run every week. What a great way for me to see my progress! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about it.

website: http://www.dailymile.com/

The Game Plan

Well here it is, my first post! I decided to make this blog on kind of a whim- some of my friends recently participated in a half marathon, and it got me thinking- why in the world do people run so much?

 

(pretty much the only thing that would get me running)

I've always hated running. My only sport was cheerleading in high school, which did not involve much running. To me, it seems like a torturous exercise that people use to lose weight (There are so many other better ways to exercise, people!). It seems so futile- running for just no reason. I've been thinking lately, however, that there may be more to it. The self-discipline it takes to run consistently is unbelievable. I tend to have these quixotic goals- “I’m going to stretch everyday until I can do the splits!” (I can’t even touch my toes),  “I’m going to teach myself Italian” (I still have Italian for Dummies in the back of my closet), “I’m going to learn how to cook” (chicken salad or pasta, anyone?)- these goals that I never seem to accomplish. I start off really motivated, but after one or two lazy days, all my previous work and motivation goes down the drain, and I’m right back to where I started. When I see runners, I see people who push themselves beyond their laziness or discomfort, and run no matter what excuses they might want to make.

Another aspect about running that appeals to me is how natural it is.  Animals run. Humans run. People from all cultures run. And we’ve been running for a very very long time.  I can imagine there is some type of spiritual fulfillment in running that makes you more in touch with your physical self. Maybe not, but I guess I will find out!

 

(Look at those ancient runners!)

I am also excited for having a goal, working hard towards that goal, and succeeding. As I stated before, I don’t always follow through with my plans. But this time, it WILL happen. Part of the reason I started a blog is to keep me accountable- how sad will it be if I have to delete my blog because I decided I don’t want to run anymore?

So here’s the plan: Run a half-marathon one year from now. I started training today- I ran one mile on the track at my gym. Man, it was NOT fun. Every single person on the track passed me. What a humbling experience after my big dreams last night of crossing the half-marathon finish line with friends and family cheering me on, having thousands of hits on my new blog page, etc. etc. It reminded me that this is definitely not going to be glamorous, it will be sweaty and painful and really really difficult, but I am determined to do it!

(me today)

I am planning on looking up different stretches, diets, strategies, etc. etc. for training for a half marathon during the rest of the year. I will share these on the blog page, along with my progress and other comments I may have. If anyone has any tips, stories, or insights, let me know! Thank you to whoever may read this blog; wish me luck! =)