Make-or-Break Moments

Photos by the super fantastic Amy

I've had a few rough weeks, workout wise. Life has been busy to the point of being unreasonable and this craziness has translated into skipping workouts, shortening them, or changing them up for something else. Added to that, the past two weeks alone have contained a bout of food poisoning, a killer migraine, and a sprained ankle. On top of all this, I've had a lot of negative mind-chatter going on in relation to my workouts. Suffice it to say, it has not been the best few weeks for me, athletically speaking.

This morning, I got up and ran a 5K with Amy. The course was part of the Salt Lake City Marathon. It was not an overly challenging course - mostly flat, with a couple of gradual inclines, but nothing intimidating. I sprained my ankle on Tuesday, so I was still babying that along some, but I ran most of it, walked a few times so I didn't re-injure the ankle, and came in with a decent time. Not great. Not terrible. Solidly in the middle.

I don't usually worry much about my times when I compete in an event. I don't even look at them for a few days, because I'm out there entirely in pursuit of my own goals. I'm only in competition with myself and while I admire the elite runners (and cyclists, and triathletes), I do these things for my own personal growth, not to win my age division or get a podium finish. I am reasonable enough with my expectations to know that this isn't likely to happen and my motivation and lifestyle and talents are different than those who are able to accomplish these feats.

This time around, I texted a couple of people with my time, and received varying responses. We won't discuss in detail the person who responded with suggestions of needing to kick it up for a tri. Even though it was a joke, it stung. As usual, though, my girls came through. Amy kicked my trash on the course, so she was waiting for me at the finish line, which was a great way to end a race. Hannah, my kick ass athletic friend, responded with praise for the time, acknowledging the injuring, suggested rest and ice, and threw me a "Great Job! Congrats! Love YOU!" Ultimately, this is what I really needed. Yes, I do these things for me, but it's nice to be validated for accomplishments, even when they are minimal or just a step in the right direction. Maybe especially when they are minimal or just a step in the right direction because often, those are the make-or-break moments when you realize you can give up and call it a day, or you can push through and keep on. The praise, the kind words, the pat on the back - they might be just the thing to push you toward keeping on rather than hanging it up.

Now, I'm feeling a little bit better about losing my workout mojo for a few weeks and have a solid plan for getting back into the swing of things training-wise, have ideas on how to shake things up with a few different types of workouts, and am looking forward to the warmer weather and time on my bike. I'm ignoring the comments that hurt and focusing my energy on getting better, getting stronger, and feeling good. I made it through this make-or-break moment and I think I'm back on track. Thanks, girls. I needed that.