It might seem simple and you might want to scream at me, "Just do it! One foot in front of the other!" But the reality is that I have been fighting a lot more than crappy fall weather or a tight IT band or access to a solid training schedule. I've been battling the worry that my body might not keep up with what my brain wants it to do. I've been fighting off excuses that there are more important things in my life that need my time and attention, like bills and preschool PTA and "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." I've been fending off old messages that have lived in my head for years and years that I am not athletic enough and can't stick it out long enough to be successful. And really, all of that has been noise. Loud, chatty, distracting noise.
In the last few weeks, I've decided to scream back at that noise, to silence my worries, and to...well, just do it, just put one foot in front of the other.
I joined a team of women and together, we are applying for a big relay next summer. If we are accepted into it, each of us will have to run three legs of four to six miles. It is a huge and sometimes daunting challenge to be able to run that far, and even though the relay is nearly a year away, I am terrified.
But you know what? I am doing it anyway. I've already started training. For two weeks, I've followed a simple schedule and am slowly but surely progressing. This week, I am doing three intervals of four minutes of running, four minutes of walking. Every time I finish a workout, I am proud of myself. Every time I feel the doubt creep in as I lap the park near my house, I remind myself that I can do two hours of yoga without a problem, walk miles and miles without stopping, and that this is something new I am learning.
I'm not getting into shape, I yell back at those self-doubting thoughts, I am getting into a new kind of shape.
I have no idea where I will be a year from now. I may be at the back of the pack of runners. But that is not my concern this week. Right now, I am very excited that I am on the path to becoming a real runner.
I may be panting and sweaty and still scared, but at least I am on the path.
Now it is your turn: Don't be shy! Share your latest exercise success.
Read more:
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- These shoes don't make me love running, but they don't make me hate it any less
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- What works best for you -- weekend or weekday workouts?
[photo credit: Getty Images]
