I resurrected the posts here on GLOW last week and then sort of left you hanging. I figured I would do a “catch up” post on my week in review. It’s been extremely busy and I figured this would be a great way to describe my past week!
You do not find a happy life, you make it! You know what I am talking about, whether you used to be this person or you are still struggling with it. I used to be the kind of person who would think that I would have a “happy wand” dusted over me from a magical happiness fairy. The truth is, you have to go out there and get it. You have to find what makes you happy and what you feel passionate about, and I’m talking non-materialistic things. Life waits for no one and time keeps moving, so it’s up to you to carpe the hell out of that diem.
My husband and I have run four 5k races in 2015. It was our original goal at the start of the year, said somewhat in jest, that we would do one every month of the year. We enjoy everything about 5k races: the charity aspect, meeting with the community, beating our personal records, pushing to get through the race, the nerves the night before, and the runners high you get after. I was really excited to put together the above collage with the four races we’ve done together so far. They are placed in order from most recent to January. The people we’ve met along the way and the community we’ve become a part of makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s always inspiring to run for charity and give it your all, even when you feel like giving up.
Saturday, April 18th, 2015: We ran Jillian’s Cure 5k for this sweet little girl who has Optic Atrophy. Her mother is the sweetest person you will ever meet and I am glad to call her a new friend of mine. The theme was “SUPERHERO” and everyone was dressed up in either full costume or with accents of their favorite superhero character. I personally put on some really colorful, loud Superman leggings. The only bad part is that they were quite see-through, so I had to find a men’s big and tall XL shirt (which I was kind of swimming in) to cover everything up!
I was diagnosed with pneumonia exactly a week before this, and my first question to the doctor was, “I have a 5k next week. Can I run it?” She told me to play it by ear and take it easy, but that I should probably abstain. My husband told me I could just join the walkers, who were there to walk the course only leisurely. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sit back and just walk the course. It’s just not my personality type and I can’t half-ass anything or it will bug me. I decided to get my bib number on race morning at 7am and do the run, knowing full well that I still wasn’t 100% recovered. Oh, and did I mention that this course was the equivalent of Mount Everest compared to my other 5k races?
Thankfully, my “little” sister (who is obviously not so little anymore and a legal adult as of earlier this year) signed up for the race with me last minute. I knew having her with me would help me because she’s not into running like I am and would keep a slower pace with me. I told my husband to break for it as soon as the race started and he set a PR (personal record) for himself, coming in 23rd with an 8:49 mile. This course was difficult. Having done 3 other races this year, this one was by far the hardest in terms of terrain. It was non-stop hills, and when I say hills, I mean what would be the equivalent of a 15 or 20 incline on a treadmill. I knew off the bat that my lungs were not 100% still, so I just kept pushing as hard as I could, without having to throw up or wheeze. Despite wheezing a bit at the end, I finished. My husband came in first, then I came in, and my sister came in shortly after me. It was my worst 5k time ever (putting up a 40 minute time), but I finished and I finished while still having pneumonia. It was a huge accomplishment, especially given the difficulty of the course, and I’m proud that I stuck with it and completed the course.
My husband and I headed indoors after the race to pick up an item I had won the bid on during the Silent Auction…
I won a huge gift set of Young Living Essential Oils (for a ridiculously low price), and I cannot tell you how excited I was for these. I’ve been really into essential oils lately and even purchased a diffuser for my nightstand a few weeks ago that glows different colors. I immediately rubbed “Breathe Again” on my neck and chest after the race and I took deep, slow breaths. It really helped my lungs to feel better post-race. I will definitely do a more in-depth post on my essential oils collection and how I use them. These have been my savior the past week especially, though.
Sunday, April 19th, 2015: I was feeling pretty sore and tight from all of the hills the day before. I decided it would be arm day and strength train my arms, but I also did a quick mile on the treadmill and used our exercise bike for 15 minutes to warm all my muscles up. I snapped this picture of my baby arm muscle because I’ve seen so much progress this year. My arms have always been one of the spots on my body that responds really well to weight lifting, so I was happy to see the muscle definition. At the end of Sunday, my body was screaming at me to rest and relax.
Monday, April 20th, 2015: Today was a rough morning to wake up! My muscles were insanely sore from the weekend and I just felt run down. I knew I was going to need to take it easy this week and let myself recover fully, since I didn’t do that the week before with my pneumonia. It was a busy work day and then we headed out to get some healthy eats at the supermarket. I snapped this gorgeous sunset photo of Lake Murray.
The rest of the week, I haven’t felt the greatest…I’ll be honest. I’ve had headaches like crazy, which is very unlike me, and my body feels like it is begging for rest. I decided to listen to what it is telling me and lay off of any workouts this week. I spent Tuesday through today (Friday) just eating clean and healthy as usual, and drinking a lot of water. I also tried to rest more in between working, whether that was taking a bath, reading a book, or simply taking an extra nap. It’s important to be in tune with what your body is telling you. I used to ignore signs and push myself too hard only to end up sick again. I knew I needed more time to recover and gave myself this week to do so. I can honestly say that as of today, Friday, I do feel better than I did during the week. Sometimes your body just needs that R&R time, so don’t be afraid to give it to yourself!
Hubby and I are already signed up for our next 5k, which is “See Spot Run” in May, for helping and saving animals, a cause dear to our hearts. It’s our ritual to sign up and choose our next 5k race after we get home from doing one. We also want to participate in a very local 5k run at the end of May, which is practically down the road, for the local YMCA. We may end up doing more than one 5k per month, but it may even out at the end of the year since it gets so hot during the summer months here in the south.
I hope you have an amazing weekend, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing. Now that I’m feeling better and mostly recuperated from my pneumonia, I hope to update this blog more than just weekly!