Renita vs. Renita: FIGHT!

It's very easy to get caught up in the "I can't." Oh I would absolutely love to wake board but I would never be able to do that! Or, and I've heard this many times, I have no idea how you do Bikram yoga, I could never stand the heat! I have no idea how we all get so caught up in the fact that we can't do something before we even try. I do it myself and am tired of hearing it.

I've been contemplating running a 5K for a long time. When I first started this blog, I alluded to the fact that I would be thrilled if I could ever run one. I started thinking about this recently and realized I am my own worst enemy. Why hadn't I already signed up? Signing up is the first step in actually getting yourself to prepare for one. Somehow I had convinced myself that I wouldn't sign up until I was ready. But I wasn't making any effort in getting ready either!

New Year's Eve 2013. I'm sitting on the couch with my son watching TV and reflecting over the past year. I saw my son grow and enjoyed every single minute of his first year. But what about me? Was I where I wanted to be physically? I lost my baby weight a while ago. I never gained too much to begin with, Thank God for that and lost it fairly quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't lose my jelly belly. I said I would lose it in a year after my son was born but that didn't happen. So no, I wasn't where I wanted to be physically. My next thought was - Was I happy? I was and am extremely happy to be a mother and love my family with all my heart. But was I happy with myself? I struggled with the thought for a while and that led me to realize that I wasn't.

Along came my epiphany. I have been fighting with myself for a long time over a lot of things and most of it has to do with fear. I haven't signed up for a 5K because I'm scared I won't run it or I won't finish. That's pretty unacceptable. Fear shouldn't hold anyone back. I am a firm believer in that and can't believe I was letting my fears get the best of me.

Renita won. I guess in this case, it is physical Renita. She told mental Renita to shut the f*ck up and get over herself. I will be running my first 5K on March 17, 2013. I am very excited, nervous and focused. I've been running twice since I signed up. I even got up at 5:30 to get a run in before work! I'm working on my technique and my time and as of this morning, I am running a mile in 9:12 min! I am proud of myself.

Tonight I will be going to Bikram. I hope this combination of running and Bikram will help me stay focused on my fitness goals for 2013. I will be running my first 5K this year and who knows, I could end up running more than one!

I plan to blog about my 5K prep and thoughts along the way. Hopefully that will help other beginners realize that they can stop making excuses, get out there and run one!

Sweaty and smiling,
Renita