Celebrating a Personal Win

 This is me celebrating a personal win!

Went for a 5-mile run this morning and there's a pretty sloped hill on the route I could never make, especially since I was already running up to it! I'd be just about out of breath not even halfway up. I told that hill I was going to beat it one day. Today was that day. I wanted to stop halfway up, I was crazy hot, and struggling to keep my pace. Yes, I was out of breath at the top, but dammit I got there. I'd love to say I run the full 5 miles but I'm not there yet. I end up basically running intervals but I continue to challenge myself. When I'm not running I'm power walking. If I feel like stopping I pick up the pace. I know I would've done so much better still if I wore my Camelbak for hydration. I thought I could make the run easier without the distraction of my dogs, but that heat is no joke these days. So my energy was being sucked right out with every step. 

I reached Starbucks and decided to hydrate! I walked in a drippy, sweaty, hot mess. No makeup, red in the face, and a bit swollen from the heat and exertion. I always clean up and use body spray and deodorant before running so I can stink pretty, but I'm quite sure by the time I made it to Starbucks that just wasn't the case.

So I ordered an ice cold and a very clean Cool Lime Refresher. Oh it truly was refreshing!! Just look at it! Aaahhh! I walked while I finished it and actually felt my insides cooling off. After being in a cool building and finishing a cold drink I had new found pep in my step so after tossing the cup in a convenient trash bin along the trail I finished my run strong!

But wait! There's more win! Before stepping in the shower I stepped on that unforgiving scale and discovered I'm now down 5lbs. For the last 3 weeks, despite my clean eating and all the running and working out, my scale read the same numbers time and time again. I felt stronger, had more stamina, and even slept better. So I knew I was definitely making strides (pun intended) with my fitness, but I wasn't seeing it in the numbers. I hit one of those "out of the clear blue" moments. You know those moments... where you're kickin' your own butt, not seeing any results then BAM! Out of the clear blue your pants are loose or the scale's showing lower numbers! I do prefer to rely more on the tape measure than the scale, but it's hard not to step on that thing when it's glaring up at me on a daily basis!

I keep a fitness journal as well. It's on my nightstand and every night I write down what I did for exercise that day and how the meals went. I don't write anything if I've not exercised. Hm. Wish I could copy and paste this blog into my personal journal!

Taken in an air-conditioned car a

few hours after the 5-mile run!

This is my friend, Lisa Lavie singing The Climb by Miley Cyrus. Lisa's powerful vocals do this song justice and it's the perfect outro to my blog. I beat that hill... but there's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna wanna make it move. There's always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. It ain't about how fast I get there. It ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb...

♠♥u