Sunday, July 5, 2009

Freeing Myself for Independence Weekend!

I know I can take every occasion and find a connection to my journey to Lose Fat and Win in Life! Why should July 4th be any different!

On Friday, July 3rd I woke up, got on the scale and then had a little talk with Shay Shay! I shared my internal dialogue with two dear friends and decided to share with the world (or at least the few that support me through reading my blog." It went something like this:

"I'm getting sick of myself. My discipline has gone to pot! I'm eating horribly; not doing any strength training. I'm just not Shay Shay. It's Friday-almost Independence Day. It's time to free my mind. Find some balance; find my me--the best me I can be. Only two full months of swimsuit weather left, and I'm once again saying, "I don't like me in a bathing suit." Skinny fat is NOT cool! So, with BBQs galore approaching, I need to focus. Focus is the only way I'll get these 20 lbs and 8% body fat off! Focus Shay Shay-Focus!"

The next day, July 4th, I hit the road for the Peachtree Road Race. I have never done the Peachtree, which is a HUGE deal in Atlanta (NOTE: I'm finding that in ATL, if it is a homegrown event, then it is BIG!--Atlanta Lawn Tennis is waaay bigger than USTA and the Peachtree Road Race, with 55,000 participants is much bigger than the ING Georgia race I did back in March. But, I digress).

Due to the foot issues I have had over the last few months, I had not run in a while. I had not trained to run the Peachtree. I was going to just share the 6 mile experience with a couple girlfriends and just stroll. Well, I already have a natural fast stride. So, I was walking pretty fast. Then, I hit a stride and started walking faster--leaving my friends (thanks for understanding and being so supportive). Then, I started RUNNING!! It felt great! I was reminded how awesome fitness feels. I felt free; I was floating. So, although I only ran about 1 1/2 miles and power walked the rest, I felt like I earned my coveted Peachtree Road Race shirt. I'm looking forward to next year!

So, now it's July 5th. The last day of the long weekend. I'm tired, but I am looking forward to tomorrow. A new day; a new opportunity for me to work toward my fitness goals.

Focus Shay Shay, Focus!