It's Run at Work Day!

I logged into Facebook today and found out via Runner's World that today is It's Run at Work Day!  The amazing part?  I had actually ran at work today!  Today was our annual Dog Jog event which is a school fundraiser.  Every other year I have participated by walking around the track.  This year I decided to come out of the closet...I was going to announce to the school community that I, in fact, was a runner.  I was kind of nervous about this.  I mean, there were lots of people (adults and kids included) around.  People that I worry about what they think of me.  I know...crazy, right?  But true!  A friend of mine was there to catch a shot of me in my running glory. 

I did it.  I jogged the entire time.  I was pretty proud of myself and even though I was more than slightly self-conscious, I kept on going.  I was slow, but I still felt pretty good that I kept going. 

This friend that captured my running moment was a HUGE help to me today.  Every time I jogged past her, she was there cheering for me...yelling and encouraging me to keep going.  It made me smile and want to keep going even when I thought of quitting so many times. To my dear friend, you know who you are, and thank you so very much! 

And just to prove that today is It's Run at Work Day. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Color Me Rad

I started this journey in February of 2013.  I desperately needed to throw my life into something different.  I was suffocating in my grief of losing my father, and I was losing my mind.  You may remember a friend of mine posted on Facebook about joining her team for Color Me Rad, and that is when things clicked.  I was going to start running.  This was the 5K I was going to run.  That fateful day I joined her team started me on my journey of becoming a runner.  I have had many starts and stops, but overall, progress has been made, and I am still moving forward. 

How did it feel running my first 5K?  Well, I don't know yet.  I did something even better at this 5K.  I walked with friends.  Our before picture:

I even had the privilege of having my favorite three year old in the entire world walk with me in a very special way:

 

 

Yes, that is right.  My beautiful Little Girl rode on my shoulders for part of the 5K, and I had a blast doing it.  I kept thinking how I have lost more weight than Little Girl weighs.  Having her on my shoulders was not easy, but it was a great reminder of how I had been carrying extra weight, but that it is no longer on me. 

 

It took me back to when I started this journey.  I declared then that there was no deadline.  I even named my blog Not a Deadline to remind myself that there is no deadline.  It is a continuous journey.  During my journey I have had setbacks.  I have had roadblocks.  I even flat out took breaks for extended periods.  I have not, nor will I, quit.  Period.  

I don't have a great picture of my after, but here is the selfie I took after completing.  This seems like it will be a tradition for me at races. 

What is up next?  Electric Run on October 5th and our Run for God group 5K on October 12th.  November will start my training for the Mini-Marathon! 

Where Have You Been?

Great question!  Where have I been?  I dropped off the face of the blogging world for awhile.  There are no good reasons.  I became incredibly busy and lost focus.  School started in a whirlwind, and I have been drowning for weeks in work.  I hate to admit it, but I had even stopped running and watching what I ate for a few weeks somewhere in there.  I stopped making myself a priority.  I saw this, and it spoke to me about what I have been doing:

I love my job.  I truly believe it is of the highest calling, and I take it very seriously.  I work hard and always want to do what is best for the children I encounter on a daily basis.  As school started, though, I found myself spending at least 12 hours a day working on school things (including the weekends), and it became suffocating. 

Then it was time for the Warrior Dash, and I was so frustrated with myself for not being better prepared for it.  However, I did it, and it felt amazing to be able to do something like that.  I realized that day that I would not have been prepared no matter what (simply because I had NO idea what to expect).  Warrior Dash caused me to refocus.  I remembered why I started on this journey in the first place.  I started to realize that I needed to prioritize some things in my life. 

I found this quote, and I love it.  I am going to have to print it off and hang it up to remind me:

 

 

I need to have my priorities burning inside of me, and I need to commit to those wholeheartedly.  I can't forget about them or turn away from them.  I need to remember what is important to me and why it is important.  That way I will stop making excuses:

 

 

Do not get me wrong.  My job is very important to me, and it is a priority in my life.  I take it very seriously.  However, when I let it take over and consume me so wholeheartedly that I do not have time for other priorities, I get out of balance.  And the funny thing is?  I can tell it affects other areas, too.  If I don't work out, I have less energy and less focus...which means it takes me longer to do those school things I need to get done. 

 

I am recommitted to working out and making this journey a priority.  I may not blog daily, but I will try to blog more often than once a week.  This will help keep me accountable.  And when I am accountable, and when I make myself and this journey a priority, the other areas in my life benefit.  I am going to end this blog with this question: Why not me?