Week three; the feeling of free

“We can do hard things” -Glennon Doyle, Untamed

Week three was three of a kind. I was once told that in running, everything happens in three’s: the good, the bad, and the okay. Ironic or not, the three of a kind couldn’t have been more alive than it was this week: week three of my training.

Monday started off with an “easily” paced 2 miler. Finishing out with a pace of 11:28 a mile wasn’t so bad-other than the fact that it wrapped up at 9:40pm because Monday is Bachelor night so we couldn’t get started until after 9pm. After a full day in the office, a solid homemade Pad Thai meal for dinner, and two hours on the couch watching the Bachelor, the two miles certainly wasn’t my favorite run thus far. The first half mile of EVERY run usually stinks because I’m getting warmed up and shaking out my soreness. But on Monday, the half mile really seemed to linger, and quite frankly it lingered until the end of the two miles… The only perk to running so late in the evening is having the gym to ourselves which means we get to watch Schitt’s Creek on the gym tv’s and that is a HUGE help to distracting me from how far I’ve gone on the treadmill. After Monday’s run, which was really my first yucky run so far, I deemed it the bad run of the week.

Except, I was wrong. Wednesday’s moderate run creeped up pretty quickly and immediately proved that Monday was not in fact a bad run, Monday was an okay run. And by golly, Wednesday demanded that it would be named the terrible run. Despite it being faster, which in my book automatically makes it less enjoyable, it was a discomfort and annoyance filled 22 minutes. While it wasn’t much faster than Monday, it was still about 10 seconds/ miles faster…and in my books, that’s fast enough!

Saturday brought the good. Thank goodness for that!! After having a bad and an okay, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my long- run on Saturday. 3 miles. And my first time running 3 miles since November. Being on the treadmill for the last two weeks has brought feelings of being a little caged inside lately, so with the 20 degree heatwave on Saturday, it was a wonderful feeling of free. It was a beautiful, sunshine-filled morning across the Stone arch bridge and on a trail along the river. It was my first enjoyable run in quite a while. Breathing in the cool and crisp but simultaneously comforting and warm air was therapy for the busy week at work. I had feelings of confidence, control, and pride as we wrapped up the three miles on Saturday. Afterall, this is run number 9 with no interval breaks taking place during any of the runs! A new record if you ask me!!

The resilience and confidence that freed me through week three might be thanks to my most recent read: “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle. Recommended by a dear friend, the book was nothing short of expectations! A fun read to get lost in and find the feelings of freedom and imagination through the pages of a book. I think I’d give it a 7.5/10! And if paired with a brownie, then an 8/10 lol. At times, I felt weirdly connected to Glennon, and the meaning of Untamed. Specifically the quote I started today’s post with: “We can do hard things”. Two years ago, when I was in the back seat as my family drove to the MSP airport where I would be hopping on a plane for a semester abroad, and alone, in Australia, and squeezing them for the last time over the course of the next 6 months, my mom handed me a mail package. In the manila envelope was a bracelet that I immediately tied around my wrist and quite frankly became one of my most prized possessions. Over the next six months, I found myself often holding onto my wrist when I needed a boost of strength, courage, or needed to feel connected to all of the people back home that I was missing. A few moments that stick out the most were when I was heading to my first day of orientation at the University of Wollongong-lots of anxiety about being surrounded by a sea of new people in a new place…and the time I decided to sky dive- that was a pretty frightening, exhilarating, and wild time too….and it really held my heart in it’s tie the day and weeks after I lost my beloved grandma Joanie, it might be more accurate to say that in that day and the weeks to follow, that small bracelet held the pieces of my heart. In times where I felt alone, heartbroken, scared, or anxious, that little bracelet somehow gave me more than I would’ve ever imagined. If it hadn’t literally worn out and become so tattered, I would still have that baby tied around my wrist. Sometimes it’s weird to think about how something so small can become something so big for us. That bracelet was my rock. And that tattered band is in my keepsake box with my travel journal as a reminder of the guiding light that it was for me that semester. I’ve put a picture below…kind of a weird and neat coincidence after reading Untamed. I don’t think I ever told my mom how much that small bracelet meant to me, but I guess I’m telling her now. Thanks momma! As hard things continue to inevitably cross the path of life, and being in the anniversary week of the day I lost my dad, I believe Glennon’s book was my much needed reminder that we can do hard things.

This weekend I started book #3 of the year, which I won’t spoil yet! Bobby and I also continue to be deeply in love with the Indian restaurant across the street from our apartment, Darbar. I have grown to LOVE curry as a result, and quite frankly crave their authentic cooking every time I catch a whiff outside. It’s dangerous. If you’re in the area, I would absolutely recommend the shrimp curry and chicken tikka masala-AAAAMAZING!! We also snuck in a bit of family time, which is always good for the soul.

Heading in to the new week with feelings of contentment, reflection, and eagerness.

My Norwex party is also extended to Tuesday of this week, so let me know if you’re interested in adding recycled cleaning products to your home!

xoxo

Jos