Mondays - yeah, not many positive things to really say about Mondays in general. I get my weekends off so for me, Mondays are truly Mondays. Work is busier than normal, home life is busier than normal since the kids are coming home from school, and chores and my kids' friends knocking on the door every 5 minutes (sometimes ringing the doorbell until sometimes I wish it would zap the little buggers and they'd run away)...and studying is like trying to pull a lion's tooth. Not fun. Not at all.
Today was one of those days. I got super frustrated with the fact that the lack of quiet was really distracting and, since I'm studying College Algebra, I found myself sucked back in time to a desk at my grandpa's house. I was probably 10 years old and I was crying over my paper as a gold desk lamp shined down on my work. I always felt like Math was the worst possible thing I could ever do in the entire universe. (That was before I discovered laundry, paying bills and working a full-time job).  It was difficult for me to comprehend and it wasn't hard for me to give up on a problem quickly.
These days, Math comes really easily. So far I have a 4.0 GPA and I am enjoying having it. But this unit we are doing...I don't know what it is about it that my brain cannot comprehend, but it just pulls me back to that little girl at the desk with the gold lamp.
I had to get away today. I didn't really have time to take away from studying but I knew if I didn't, I was either going to give up, or just let the information float around in my head without making any sense.

So, I went running.
I ran on a gravel path not far from my house. It was a pretty warm day today and the sun felt good. It was nice. I ran and I kinda lost myself. It's been a long time since I did that. And it's been a long time since I've run so much. Today I did my fastest mile...11:18. The important part wasn't that I only went 11:18 but that I challenged myself to break through a small wall, and I did it. I haven't been a runner in almost a year and if you are a runner, you find out quickly that if you don't stick with it, you lose a lot of ground. Well, I lost a lot of ground, but today I gained a little bit back, too. I cleared my head, exceeded a goal, and when I came back home to sit and concentrate on my work, it FINALLY all started to sink in.

For me, running is therapy.
It's gotten me through a pretty rough patch last year...it's helped me lose almost 40 lbs and it's done wonders for my self confidence. I never thought I could achieve running THREE 5k races, plus countless other small personal achievements. If you're interested in running, just get out there and do it. You don't have to be fast, you don't have to run far, you really don't even have to run - just walk. But deciding to find something that moves you can not only change your body shape, it can change your mind and spirit.
Happy Running!

Ahh, success. After a very, VERY long hiatus from running and being fit in general, I finally have my motivation back. It feels really good to clear my cloudy mind and burn off some frustration and stress. With this blog, I plan to record my runs, my calorie burn for the month and get out my general thoughs and feelings about running, fitness and weight loss as it pertains to me. I'm in no way, shape or form someone who is giving advice...I can only talk about what works for me and what things I find enjoyable as far as living a healthy lifestyle. 

As far as getting my mojo back, yesterday was the clincher for me - I spent most of the day at the Color Me Rad 5k in Springfield, MO with my three awesome kids.

This was mine and my son's third 5k experience and the first experience for my daughters. They loved it. I can't help but hope that they'll love running and participating in 5k races with their old mom from now on, but being the teenagers they are, they're more interested in hanging out with other people and enjoying a lazy summer. We will see though - I may be able to keep them in the running spirit.

As for me, I'm pretty excited about my new purchase. After the Color Me Rad 5k, I set aside my awesome old Asics shoes and purchased a new pair of Brooks Ghost 5's. They feel amazing and I'm so glad I chose these shoes to replace my favorites. The Asics were really good to me. I used them for more than running and they lasted me right at a year, so I'm hoping the Brooks hold up just as good. So far I've put 2.25 miles on them and they feel like a dream.

Speaking of dreams, this gal has had quite an eventful weekend, not only with running and getting my motivation back, but also with college work and just life in general - I think it's time for an 8 hour nap. 

Happy Running!!