Flashback Fridays: I'm no beginner anymore

Flashback Fridays are a re-posting of my previous blog entries.  Sometimes I need a good kick in the butt and these old posts remind me of how to get it done.

Why I flash-backed to this post:  With the Great Aloha Run coming up in less than 72 hours, I'm still lacking the motivation and excitement about the race.  I remember the last time I did it - three years ago! - I couldn't wait for race day! 

I trained a lot more this time.
I weigh about 15 lbs. less this time.
I'm in much better shape this time.

So why the anxiety about the race?  I think it has to do with the fact that because of the things I just listed, I should easily beat my time from 2009, which was a pace of 13 minute/miles.  And if I don't, I have no excuse for it.

This weekend is the Great Aloha Run Health Expo so hopefully that'll inspire me to get hyped up!

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Original post date: 10/6/09
Original post found here.

Over the weekend I went back in time... sorta.

I spent my Sunday morning rereading my blog from start to finish. What an exhausting journey! The one thing I found constant throughout my posts was the fact that when I talk about fitness, I talk about myself as a beginner - someone just starting to workout. Even though the intensity, amount, length and type of workouts have increased with my posts, my reaction to my progress is still the same. I make it sound like I've accomplished so much by doing so little! Like my celebration about running up a one-mile hill.

"Hello! You've run a 13K almost a year ago, you should be
celebrating much harder fetes than a one-mile hill!!"

Well I'm no beginner but I'm no athlete yet either... or am I? I still see myself as the "fat girl" who could only walk for exercise...

Not someone who can hike non-stop-in-less-than-30-minutes up a mountain made of stairs!
Not someone who can do plyometric workouts with the best of them!
Not someone who does a boot-camp at the gym and remains the last one standing in my group!
Not even someone who looks forward to working out everyday!

But I need to keep telling myself that I am that someone!! I actually do look forward to my daily workouts!

I am no longer a beginner at this stuff called fitness and I need to stop acting like I am. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm not anywhere near elite athlete status or anything, but I can't be celebrating the small stuff anymore.

• 50 minutes on the stepmill? That's not something to celebrate for me! I should be celebrating two hours!
• Running seven miles? Nothing! I did eight miles almost a year ago! Where's the celebration in doing less miles than what I did several months ago?
• Hiking up a really tough mountain? Doesn't really count because I've done it over 6x already!

 

 

I always hear talk about how people who lose weight still think of themselves as fat and this is exactly what I'm going through except on the fitness side. During my personal trainer sessions, whenever my PT tells me to move faster or longer on an agility/cardio exercise, I always doubt myself because I have the mindset of a beginner. This is holding me back!!! Again my mindset is holding me back!

So for the next several workouts I do, I'm gonna think differently, reminding myself that I am not a beginner - in fact, far from it! Hopefully this will allow me to push myself

H.A.R.D.E.R.FA.S.T.E.R.S.T.R.O.N.G.E.R.F.A.R.T.H.E.R.