com·pet·i·tive

com·pet·i·tive

–adjective

Having a strong desire to compete or to succeed 

This morning's walk/run was my best to date. My 3 best times so far are:

41:04

43:34

43:35

Last weekend I shaved 1 second off when I finished in 43:34. 1 SECOND.

This morning when I hit the start on my nifty Nike+ app on my phone, I decided I was going to beat that 43:34 by more than 1 second. And I did, by 2 min. 30 sec. to be exact.

I start out walking and I have certain landmarks at the park where I will run - between signs, etc.... It's a great way to alternate walking and running with an end in site. A lot of times, I'll push my running a little farther - not to this tree, how about the next one. It's always fun to challenge myself.

I am not a fast runner. And it's certainly not pretty when I run. I am the person who looks like I'm going to keel over - heaving breathing, shoulders hunched, and a bright red face. But you know what? I'm doing it. I will never be that person who runs so gracefully it looks like they are taking a leisurely stroll. My pace will get better and over time I'll be able to run farther than I do now, but it will never be pretty.

I am VERY competitive with myself. When I beat my previous time by 1 second, my first thought was I can do much better than that next time. I ran more than normal and when I did run, I tried to run a little faster. And it made a difference. My legs feel great and they feel strong and I am super proud of myself.

My next goal? To get under the 40 min. mark. That is just a matter of time. Because I am crazy competitive with myself, moreso than anyone else.

I took this picture at the park this morning - isn't it beautiful??

Eagle Lake Park

Just Do It!

I left work feeling like my brain was fried, literally. Huge project I've been working on the past 2 days has literally depleted all the brain cells I had left. As I'm driving home, I'm thinking how I don't want to walk, I want to just lay on the couch and watch TV. I was trying to think of every excuse not to walk. I called my hubby and told him I was headed home and that I was going for a walk. I figured that was halfway to actually doing it - if I told him I was walking, I had to do it.

Got home and looked at the couch for a minute and really contemplated laying on it and not getting up for a few hours. But alas, I did not. I could not ignore Blue barking, expecting to go on our daily afternoon walk, or the fact that I NEEDED to walk.

So I changed my clothes and off we went. It was hot and humid and I was not totally into it, but the farther I walked, the better I felt. Each step I took made me happier that I did not listen to my inner evil voice and lay on the couch.

I will remember this the next time I don't want to walk and I'll tell myself JUST DO IT! And there will be no excuse because I know I can.