One foot in front of the other...

Over the weekend while on my 12 miler, I'm listening to music and my heartbeat through my headphones. They are the noise reduction kind and all the sounds outside are quieted while music and my internal beat are directly in my ears. The interesting thing is it doesn't drown out my thoughts. That's where time stand stills for me. Knowing that I am on this run for the next 2-3 hours. Nothing else matters; not chores, my honey-do list, what we are doing for lunch. It is all about going from bridge to bridge. It's funny - the Run Keeper voice speaks every mile to me - but all that I'm thinking about is the next bridge. If I even pause to think about 12 miles - it is just too much for me to wrap my head around. I try to use only visual guides. This has been really helping me as I build my weekly mileage. Now, once I start on longer runs on trails - that might be a new lesson to be learned. I find that true with sales too. The visual goals are items we might want to own some day to keep us excited and incentivized as sales professionals. Just paying the mortgage, car payment and utilities might not keep us as motivated; but, a Hawaiian vacation might kick us into gear if a commission check could pay for the whole trip! Those visual guides are great - short term goals are a beautiful thing. There really is nothing better than accomplishing tasks - whether it's physical or professional. Both are so satisfying!

On my 12-miler my legs were really sore until that afternoon. Surprisingly though the next day I felt pretty good. Those are good signs that are showing me that I'm able to recover better after every long run. Downing chocolate milk after a tough workout can help replenish exhausted muscles and significantly aid exercise recovery, new research shows. So, I've been drinking a tall glass of either chocolate milk or carnation instant breakfast milk after those days. It is easy and quick - tastes great and while I'm in the shower, my body got the nutrients it needs to help it feel better.

As I continue to run and watch my intake - I find that I am craving more sugar lately. I want to eat Jelly Belly's and the occasional doughnut. I get that because I'm burning 2,000 cal in a single run doesn't give me the right to indulge... but it really keeps me excited knowing that at least once a week I can enjoy a meal I otherwise would have felt guilty about. I am drinking tons of water - as hydration is critical in recovery as is my multi-vitamin pack and getting my daily dose of proteins, fruits and veggies. Like for instance, as I type this I am eating a piece of low fat string cheese and apple slices. Trying to increase fruit as a natural sugar is a daily reminder than I make these choices and will pay for them on my runs. This food is fuel. When I don't I pay the price - my intestines do - then of course I do. Really pay attention to your body on your workouts, whatever your goals are. Keep it clean and keep one foot in front of the other! Have a great day and thanks again for reading!