Motivational Bug

I love the liberation that you feel after you've completed a workout that you'd been dreading, one that you knew or thought was going to be hard. The feeling that you are slowing morphing back into an athlete or you are becoming stronger/faster with every step that you take.

I think the little bug "motivation" is slowly starting to creep back in. I went for a 6 mile run this morning. Double than any distance I have done in awhile and certainly the longest run that I have done since Nationals back in September. With every step I felt more empowered, stronger, like I was gaining back every ounce of fitness that I had slowly lost. I made sure to start slow and steady and to maintain that throughout the entire run, there was no need to go fast, just to complete the mileage, and let me tell you I felt fantastic at the end.

Did I forget to mention I'm training for a marathon? An off-road marathon.

A 26.2 mile run over dirt, rocks, and tree roots. I am excited. One race, that is all that I am planning on doing this year, just one. I do not want to get burned out again like I did last year. I love this stuff too much to give up on it again. I want to slowly integrate swimming back into my training. The biking can just stay for "fun."

So much has changed in the last few weeks. I moved out of my home, started at a new school in a new town, and left behind everyone I know and love. I must admit these last two weeks have been some of the toughest/loneliness weeks of my life. I thought moving out would be this amazing experience where I would finally be out and off on my own and that I would love every minute of it. Turns out I was wrong. I miss having people around to interact with. My books have become my friends. I thought I was a nerd before, I'm really a book worm now. It's funny how you throw yourself into something to avoid something else. I have thrown myself into my studies, my books give me something to do, something to waste my time with. I miss my Arkansas friends and having people to train with.

On a more positive note, my eating has certainly improved. I decided to give the Paleo Diet a try and I LOVE it. It is tough at first, but relatively simple. You eat how cavemen ate 10,000 years ago. So lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, beans and nuts. I feel so much better. I was finally able to kick the sugar and soda habit, finally.

Well, that is all for now. I need to get back to the books. I have a test in two weeks I need to study for.