Go

So, we've been running lately. You know that. And I'm having a great time. Lost 6 pounds. Net. Which, of course means I've probably lost 11 lbs of fat and gained 5 lbs of muscle.

So what I'm wondering is, why haven't I been able to do this before? And why has it always been that when I exercise, I can never exercise more than say, 3 months at a time?

Unfortunately, I can't answer that.

But I'll say two things. One, it's been helpful to have someone to exercise with. Someone I'm not embarrassed to exercise with. Someone I can talk about "exercise" with. And two, I'm realizing now that it gets infinitely easier once I've achieved something. Once I'm impressed with myself. Now that I'm saying, "Holy crap, I can't believe I can run 5 miles (without throwing up)," I want to run 7 miles. And even though I was miserable "training" for that 5K we ran a month ago, after I had actually completed it, all I could think about was going out again the next day.

So maybe that's the secret. Find a way to impress yourself. Feel like you've kicked some ass. And keep finding new ways to kick some ass. (Start with a small ass though, and work your way up.)

Maybe that's it.



PS. For the record, I'm finding that to be a "runner," you don't really have to run that hard. For more than enough people, the goal is just to finish. Run for 30 minutes, who cares the distance. Run 3 miles, who cares the pace. In fact, if you can't talk comfortably while you're running, you might very well be running too hard. So bring a friend. And talk. And go.