fit friday: it's marathon time!

I've always thought to myself what I could add to this blog world.  In the process of reflecting on this I tried to focus on areas that I felt most confident in.  Well, one of those areas is fitness and health.  And so, welcome to the first addition of "Fit Friday".  Each Friday I'll bring you a post on staying healthy, whether it's a good workout move, inspiration, or a new recipe you must try.  

To kick start everything off I thought I'd share a little bit about my view of health.  Growing up I never seemed happy with my body, but a big reason is because I didn't understand what it meant to be healthy.  Basically I was super uneducated and thought that because I had three servings of fruit a day (even if it was in a sugar-ladened smoothie) then I was healthy.  I started working out regularly about four years ago, but my purpose was to lose weight.  As the years have gone by I have transitioned my thinking to the following:

I eat to fuel my body

I exercise to keep my body active, fit, and energized

Having this mentality is so freeing.  I love working out because I know that I am taking care of the body that God made.  I love eating healthy because I am fueling my body for my busy days and keeping it in tip-top shape.  When I think to myself that I have to workout or restrict my eating because I'm unhappy with my body, a flood of insecurities comes over me, and I turn against myself versus loving that God has made.  

There's my view.

A friend of mine recently asked me to ran a half-marathon with her.  But not just any marathon, the La Jolla Half Marathon, which if you're from San Diego-you know it's the mother of all runs.  There is a grueling hill right smack dab in the middle.  I've only run one other half-marathon, and it was almost two years ago.  When I ran it I was constantly struggled.  I worried that I wasn't running enough, running fast enough, training hard enough, eating too much....

It was hard.  

So deciding whether or not to run this half marathon was a huge debate back and forth in my head.  Plus, it was one more thing to add to my crazy schedule.  I decided to go for a run to clear my head (it always does the trick).  On this run I looked down at my Garmin and realized that I was running way faster than I usually do.  Then I realized that this was the product of some speed work I had been doing on the treadmill recently.  I had grown as a runner and I felt more confidant.  I saw that my hard work was really paying off and it motivated me to set a new goal for myself.  Setting goals is important because it keeps us going and pushes us to strive for more.  

So I decided that, yes, I would run the half-marathon.  Setting a new goal for myself was actually pretty motivating and exciting.  

Last Saturday was my first long run and I did 7 miles.  It felt amazing and I felt strong the entire time.  It was more proof that I was ready to train for this half-marathon.  

The biggest lesson I have learned through this whole process is that we can't let the fears of our past hinder us in the present and in the future.  I feared that I would be slow again, that I would gain weight like I did last time, that I would feel sluggish and unhappy with myself.  The truth of the matter is that I am a different person than I was two years ago.  I am stronger, both spiritually and physically.  I'm excited to train and reach a new goal for myself!