Running on Everything

This is it! The 5k is in less than two days and I am as ready as I will ever be!

My husband and I ran last week and he got to listen to my iPod for the first time. He surprised me by saying that I should slow down some of the music so that I can pace myself. He was so right—and for any man to have his wife burst into the house exclaiming that phrase is pretty much like telling him that he just won the lottery.

So I downloaded Drive: Nike+ Original Run by The Crystal Method from the iTunes store. It’s about 45 minutes of pure beats. It starts a little slow and gets going, then brings it back to slower and just when I thought I would start walking again, the beat speeds up and my ears and heart are full of newfound energy-enough to keep me running. At certain points, I serioulsy felt like Brad Pitt in "Burn Before Reading."

I highly recommend this mix to everyone. It kept me on the treadmill for just under 1 full mile—which was the longest I have ran since I started this thing called running! On Saturday, I plan on putting it to the test.

So it’s a big week, the final hoorah. The run, a big comedy show at the legendary Purple Onion where famous comics like Robin Williams, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Phyllis Diller (who made her stand-up debut here), the Kingston Trio and the Smothers Brothers (who recorded their first album, Live at the Purple Onion) have all performed. Of course current famous comics like Zach Galifianakis, Todd Barry, Dan Piraro and Judah Friedlander have recently graced the exact stage that we will be standing on tonight. It’s kind of a big deal to us.

And then we celebrate Daisy's birthday and the countdown to Maui begins….which is why I started this blog in February.

I am feeling strong and alive and I am really happy with the space I am in.

I am done beating myself up for not working harder on the training for the run and for not being at my desired goal for our trip. I have shed inches, lost weight and adapted a new lifestyle and attitude toward fitness and health in general and that knowledge is POWER. I have worked though a lot of issues and been able to literally run from my troubles as oppose to eating them.

I know I am a procrastinator and also competitive which is a funny combination. If I had run as hard over the past two months as I have over the past two weeks, I would probably be bored with a measly 5k. But I didn't and I know I need to pace myself Saturday or it will be brutal. However, I know the competitive side of me will most likely target someone there and before I know it, my head will rock back and forth, and my finger will go up in the air as I say "OhHellNaw-there-is-no-way-SHE-is-beating-me!" And before you know it, I will have ran the entire 3.1 miles and then not be able to walk in Maui.

Either way, the fact is--I am proud of myself.

These last 8 months have been hard, humbling and left me vulnerable. But I believe that when you are vulnerable, you are able to truly grow if you want to. I want to. I want this healthy lifestyle. I like eating right and keeping a positive attitude, even when I am low-low-low. I like the smell of the gym and the sweat that pours down my back. I like the way my body feels and how it has shrunken and tightened up and curved. And most of all, I like the example I am setting for the little woman I am raising.

You all have been a huge inspiration for me and I appreciate all the emails, posts and comments. Next week, I am going to post a blog titled “How we planned a trip to Maui on 1 income.” I think it will be very motivating for you all and I think you’ll be surprised at how cheap we did it, and how you can too.

Think of me Saturday morning! Looking forward to telling you how the 5k goes!