One Day At A Time

I am now 3 days in to my half marathon training program. That is, day 3 of 140, 0.02%. 

As I was thinking about how I was going to arrange my week - what workouts were going to happen when and how that schedule fits into my already incredibly busy life - I began to become slightly anxious.

• Point of contention: The plan I am following adds 1 more run to each week than I have been doing previously. 
• Point of Fact and Inquiry: Life is a juggling act, and if the responsibilities of a wife, mother, and full-time employee already swallow up nearly all the minutes of each day, how am I going to be able to complete this training plan and check off all the necessary boxes to secure a great performance on race day?

Thankfully, instead of becoming overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before me, I was able to quickly reframe this train of thought. 

Throughout the next 20 weeks, it will be of utmost importance to keep proper perspective. I simply cannot stress about what next week will bring. Yes, planning is necessary and incredibly helpful; I have my training plan to lead the way. But I cannot stress out about how I'm going to fit in workouts 3 weeks from now when all I have in front of me is today.

For example, today is Halloween. Naturally, with a 5 year old child, I will be spending my evening trick or treating and capitalizing on family time. Normally, I do my workouts first thing in the morning before anyone else has even awoken.Yesterday, I checked the weather for today at 6:00 a.m. the temperature was forecasted to be 37° degrees. At 7:00 p.m., the temperature was forecasted to be 58°. That is a mighty big difference when you are running around like a crazy person (literally 😜) outside and in the dark! So, I talked it over with my husband and arranged that he would put our son to sleep, and I would take advantage of the "warmer" weather in the evening to run. That meant that for today, I had 2 choices - sleep in or get in an extra strength training session so that I could better secure a full rest day later this week. I opted for the extra strength training session. 😈

That decision works for today and for this week. That same decision may not be available or work out as beneficially during another week. I can't get caught up in the what ifs and "How am I going to do this next week?" Honestly, I have no clue! And that's OK. What matters and what I can control is what is in front of me - today and this week's schedule.

So as I go through these remaining 137 days, I will do well to remember this and keep everything in perspective. Take it one day at a time, and as my favorite sports psychologist, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, encourages - Dominate the controllables; let everything else go. Happy running!

2 speedy tempo miles to end the night!
2 miles @ 16:25 - 8:05 | 8:16
😁🎃🏃🏼‍♀️💨

Q