Just do it

pa_cornpone

So Saturday was my day off. Sundaywas the Super Bowl (though I wanted neither team to win) but that equates to junk food. Eating pizza, 3 beers, chicken wings, all kinds of dips, 4 mini brownies and 1 rice crispy treat DOESN'T equate to jogging in the morning. That coupled with waking up several times in the middle of the night and it being 24 degrees this morning (real feel 20 degrees) one says to themself, "Not today." But after picking up my Runner World mag and reading for 5 minutes and turning to the page that asked "Why do you run?" I thought about the people who can't run, I thought of my health and family, I thought of the sheer pleasure of running, so I donned my cold weather running gear. After running the first mile with the sand still coming out of my eyes and my fingers turning into icicles and my face freezing off, I thought "Why am I doing this again!" At the end of 2 miles, I think I had frostbite on my fingers and no feeling in my bottom lip. At the end of 3 miles after beating my hands together and turning up the run, I was feeling pretty warm. At 4 miles I was thinking about writing this to you, At 5 miles, I was in that zen state where your body is running and you just feel like a passenger looking out you eyes. At mile six, I started thinking about resolutions to problems at work. All of a sudden I found myself 30 yards to my stopping point (6 miles today) but it didnt feel like I ran enough so I sprinted those last 30 yards. I just find it interesting how much we can talk ourselves out of exercise, but if you just shut that part of your brain off and like Nike says "Just do it" you can get it done, and feel so much better for doing it.

melaniecheeks

Good for you!

I always carry a pair of fine gloves for running in the cold, but after about a mile I've usually warmed up enough to take them off.

chatipati1

I was thinking...after mile 1,2,3,4,5 and into six, why didn't you think of running on the treadmill and keeping warm?:)

literatelier

Love it. It's the most important lesson that I've learned in the past six months.

I've also learned that it applies equally to other life choices, like dirty dishes and laundry.

pa_cornpone

Melanie, I was wearing gloves, the cold went through them. Patty, I have a treadmill but hate it... most boring invention ever! My wife uses it but it is too mind-numbing for me... I rather have face-numbing. Literatelier, hee hee. I guess it does apply to housework too...

Ullgetthere2

I love your post. The brain is a very powerful thing, it can easily discourage you but it can have the reverse effect as well.It,s not easy but like you said, it is important to tune out the negative and push push push!