Here we go again...another long run on the treadmill but this time I think I did some key things to set myself up for success.First, after horse lessons on Tuesday I was talking to darling daughter about how what we say impacts what we do. If we say we think we may be able to do something, we may. If we say we can't, we don't. But if we say we will, we increase our odds of success just by having confidence in ourselves. I used myself for an example. When I say I hope I will run long or I may run long, I may. But when I say I will, I get it done 99.9% of the time. There are those odds times when my body says no for reasons that are truly valid.
Second, my buddy Toby is working on his own big goals and achievements and I know he is having a hard time. I don't want him to give up so there was no way on this beautiful green Earth that I would give up on him OR my long run. No if's, and's, or but's...get it done Momma. (And nope, I don't think darling daughter has ever called me Momma.)
With that said, running 20 miles on the treadmill is far from easy. Running 20 miles period is far from easy. What did I turn to this time to keep my mind focused??
First, we started with Frozen. Yep, I kinda like that movie and as much I would have loved to stream episodes of Cedar Cove darling daughter would have been less than impressed and running long with an unhappy 7 year old won't work. So Frozen it will be and at least there are some fun tunes in there.
Second, she put in Winnie the Pooh. Oh no! This had me wondering if I could tackle the next 10 miles as happily distracted as the first 10 to Winnie the Pooh. Yes, that bear is cute but can he hold my attention? Time to pull out my book Hearts of Fire as a back-up plan.
Third, on went Once Upon a Forest...another cute movie but not a running distraction movie one bit especially since it is a "quiet" DVD that is hard to hear under the best of circumstances. Time to really dive into reading!
Fourth, social media check-in reports. It helps. I post what I am after, where I am, and I got to chat some with my buddy's mom, how my buddy is doing, etc. Every little bit helps but this was less of a distraction this run since facebook on my phone is acting crazy slow. But that wasn't going to stop me.
Fifth, the wash cloth game once again. I don't know what it is about having daughter move one wash cloth from the stack to be laid out in the done pile that makes me feel like a success! It truly is a silly thing and just means I have wash cloths to pick up later BUT it does give me something to look forward to every 5 miles. Between that and my "aid station" breaks and "pit stops" to replenish my SOS Rehydrate all was pretty good. Well good until those final miles that were just pure determination to keep putting one foot in front of another for my buddy and God.
How did I fuel my run? Well, you already heard about the SOS Rehydrate. I went through three Stix of Berry. I guess I was a sweaty mess but please keep in mind, that final stix was also consumed post run. At mile 3 I had one graham cracker with another three at mile 10. At around mile 15 I convinced darling to share a couple of her Star Bursts with me. Yep, two Star Bursts for a sugary treat to keep my mind feeling happy.And yes, I am happy I got it done. Post run I showered, pulled on some awesome ProCompression socks, and ate lunch before making homemade tortillas for dinner as it is TACO NIGHT!
Have a blessed weekend full of love and happiness!
Peace and Love,
Erica G
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for having my stereo back home.
Daily Bible Verse: In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. ~ Psalm 3:8
