Monday, August 23, 2010

Mantra Monday: Be Strong

Mantra MondayI am in serious need of some mental strength.

Today, maybe even as you read this, I will be sitting somewhere, talking to someone and completely out of my comfort zone.

I must remember to "be strong."

I don't like "situations." They make me uncomfortable and they stress me out. I've been stressed out all weekend.

I wish the roads could be paved with candy and the skies could rain gumdrops and every day could be one giant smile and we could all dole out hugs instead of the uncomfortableness that life sometimes offers up.

Time to put my cape on.

I'll pretend I'm standing at the water's edge, waiting for that horn to blow and I'll just do my best to stay calm and finish strong.

Motherhood is like an endurance race sometimes, isn't it? You're standing there sometimes freaking out and feeling like you have no clue what you're doing and what you've gotten yourself into.

But you have to stand back and trust in yourself, know that you're doing the best you can and be confident and remember to breathe. And you have to know that there will be highs and lows and ups and downs and times where you'll wonder whether or not you're doing the right thing and times that you feel like giving up, but you don't, you keep going, you do what you do and you do it hard and with conviction and then eventually you see what it's all been for.

So that's what today is about for me.

And then when today is over, I will need the mental strength to get through the next couple of weeks of training.

I'm into the nitty gritty already and I didn't even realize it. I have a 12 mile run this week, next week my long workout is a 30mile ride followed immediately by an 8 mile run, the following week the long workout is a 14 mile run, the next week is a 40 mile ride followed by an 8 mile run, I saw this all on the schedule and realized that the "go-time" is upon me. I've never done any of this before EVER. Before seeing it on the schedule, I'd never even have conceived of it.

Sometimes when you sign up for something you don't realize what it really means. What it's going to entail. What you are really going to face. I type this as my legs throb from yesterday's 25 mile ride followed by a 6 mile run and I preview the schedule to come.

What have I gotten myself into?

I'll need to be strong. To prepare myself mentally and to get myself into some sort of a zone and just be strong. I've changed my necklace from discipline to "strength."

I can do this.

Right?

It's amazing how life and training are such parallels right now.
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What's your mantra? Share it in the comments or grab a button, go post about it and share your link in the comments! Have a wonderful week!

5 comments:

Kirsten said...

Blogger effing ate my comment. Now I have to be all encouraging and shit from memory! :)

I have that 14-miler slated for next Saturday. It was supposed to be yesterday, but *stupid foot*. The training is overwhelming and scary but you *know* it will you where you want to be. And how awesome is going to be when we cross that finish line at Disney? More awesome than ever imaginable...and by then you'll have already completed a HALF IRONMAN. You rawk, girl!

Leslie said...

YOU CAN DO IT!

Have you tried ice baths after long rides/runs? I tried one this past weekend after an 11 miler and darn if it didn't really work!

For the uninitiated: sit in the tub (I usually take off my running shorts, but still have my panties and my shirt/bra on), plug the drain, and begin to fill with cold water. At this point, you're still hot, so its kind of nice. Once the water covers your legs, dump in lots of ice or have someone else do it. I stopped for a 10lb bag of ice on the way home and had my husband dump about 2/3 of it in. Sit for 10 minutes.

I was still stiff and sore that afternoon, but by that evening my legs felt GREAT, and they felt fantastic the next day. It made a huge difference in recovery, so I highly recommend it. It wasn't as awful as you'd think, especially if you let the water fill while you're in there rather than stepping in and sitting down in a tub of ice water!

Audrey said...

Yep. You can TOTALLY do it.

Pubsgal said...

Oh, Christie! (((hug))) Hang in there, girlfriend. I don't like situations, either. So I hope yours goes more smoothly than anticipated.

My Monday Mantra is "Relax! You have plenty of _____." And my wish for you is that you have plenty of whatever you need to fill that blank.
(I got this one from a sign on the door of this little bakery in Santa Cruz that we pass every time we drive down to visit my parents, that says, "Relax, you have plenty of time." And darned if it doesn't help me relax a bit!)

You are going to totally rock that half-ironman! I can't imagine going the distances you're doing in your training, but I know that if anyone can do it, she's YOU! (insert cowbell sound fx)

Alicia said...

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