I found this to be the perfect opportunity to relax, do no exercise at all, and eat whatever I wanted. When I say no exercise I mean walking around the block would have been a push.
After months of bad eating and one too many drinks over the festive season, I went back to the gym and literally started from the beginning. There were days that I dreaded going to gym, and felt like I was getting nowhere. I needed a competition based motivation, so I entered into the Maritzburg Marathon 10km run. I had never run in a competitive race in my entire life so this was going to be interesting! I finished that 10km at an embarrasing time that I won't mention, without much training beforehand, and I vowed to make a huge improvement. What I realised in a painfully slow process over the next 6 months, was that I was getting fitter and stronger each time. I increased those minutes and the speed I was going until I was actually road running for half an hour at a time without too much effort. I was using heavier weights and trying more difficult exercises.
The milestone in my runnning training (that I had only started in the beginning of the year) was to do the Knysna half marathon (21km) in July. Whenever I thought of missing a run or not going to the gym because I had had a long busy day, I thought of those 21km, and how proud I would be of myself once I had finished. I was committed to do it, but I dont think my brain had registered how tough it would actually be for me. It was the ultimate motivation, and with a lot of hip-hop music on my ipod, encouraging friends and family I was ready for my half marathon.
In the time I was training, I was doing shorter competitive road runs and trail runs, and I finally started to enjoy running. It becomes this personal achievement to see if you can do better each time, and prove to yourself what you are capable of. At the same time, running exposes so many weaknesses, whether its impatience, laziness, complaining or frustration. Its so tough! I noticed that other things started happening, my skin looked healthier, I was sleeping better, I was generally happier and my immune system was stronger. I might be stating the obvious here but it really did change my lifestyle.
I ran that half marathon, and it was difficult, and there were times that I wanted to give up. What I learnt through that experience was the power of the mind. Your body might feel tired or sore, but your mind is strong enough to move past it and carry on. I made friends with strangers along the run, I saw beautiful views of sunrises and mountains that I will never forget, and I ran the longest I had ever run in my life.
The reason why I shared this experience was not for people to feel motivated to exercise, that’s not my intention at all. What I want people to focus on is the fact that nothing comes easy in life, whether its success, relationships or goals. The reason why they aren’t easy is because if they were, it wouldn’t really feel like an accomplishment because anybody could do it. This is what sets you apart from the rest, but it’s not about the rest at all, it’s about you. Without even realising it you set mental blocks against things in your life, you set boundaries and limits for yourself even when you don’t realise you are doing it. It’s a safe routine that stops you from doing something that challenges you and tests your abilities.
You have to force yourself out of your comfort zone to be able to fully take advantage of your life, and what you can offer yourself in terms of fulfilment, happiness, comfort and pride. It should not be for other people to praise you, it should be for you to praise yourself. Sure, encouragement and acknowledgement from those around you go along way, but you have to make sure that what you do is to improve yourself as a person, along with making mistakes and learning along the way. Break down those limitations and barriers, take down your mental block and let opportunities in. x
No comments :
Post a Comment