Week 17

Sunday –

Today’s run was 6 miles. About two miles in, my foot and hip started to hurt, so I had to work through that. They don’t always bother me—it comes and goes. Doing squats really helps my hip, so I’ll make sure to do those this week. After I got through the foot and hip pain, my little toe started to hurt. It’s the one that always blisters on a long run, so now I wear a preventative blister band-aid. Eventually that pain went away too.

I guess my brain is just telling my body to hurt so we’ll stop. Kinda crazy how that all works. I truly struggle with this.

I really need to work on my mindset and self-talk. I’m out here doing absolutely amazing, and then here comes my brain telling me I suck. This has got to change. It’s not okay.

I did see a few cool critters on the run. Had to go around a banded water snake. He was actually really cool and beautifully colored. I don’t hate snakes, but I definitely don’t want them near me. I have a healthy respect for their space—it’s their home.

I also saw an egret sitting on the airport fence. I’ve never seen one perched on a fence before. It was standing so tall and just looked beautiful. I felt stronger after that bird. It was the perfect thing to see—standing tall and strong. I can be tall and strong too, I thought to myself. Birds have a way of bringing peace to my mind.

The rest of the run, everything was fine—nothing hurt. These are the days I enjoy.

When I got home, I put on an after-run stretch video from YouTube. Boy, was I tight! The video helped so much. I need to do that more often.

Monday –

Gym day. It was a full-body workout, which is usually fast-paced. I slowed it down to focus on form. They’re usually lots of fun, and today was no exception. I had a great time.

I’ll have to do more stretches today. My right side, from hip down, is very tight and giving me a bit of pain.

Tuesday –

I decided I needed rest today, so I did nothing.

Wednesday –

I walked two miles.

Thursday –

Still wasn’t feeling great, so I did nothing again. I think I may need some extra rest.

Friday –

Gym day! It was a tough workout—lots of arms, and I could still feel pain in my shoulder. I went light but still worked to failure without any sharp pain.

Saturday –

I’ve been super stressed, worrying about why I’m so tired, so I decided to go for a walk. No music, no podcast—just me and whatever I found. It was a beautiful morning, and it felt so good to slow down and refocus. I really needed a down week.

Thoughts –

I’m going to have bad days or weeks, and that’s okay.

It doesn’t destroy what I’m working on.