You can’t win them all

I started thinking about my running and the entire journey to this point. There are many battles along the way and the truth is I didn’t win them all. It’s hard to set out on a path and have everything mapped out and things don’t go the way we planned. It’s hard to come to terms with it. Sometimes things come out better than the plan but sometimes it just completely tanks. That battle is lost but you’re still a winner.

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I’ve been searching my soul on something to blog about for today besides my race recaps. I don’t want to overload everyone on race recaps and that be on the only thing on the blog. Running is NOT really what the blog is supposed to be about BUT if my running posts inspire people to push past their boundaries then it works.

When we started on our weight loss journey it was hard for me. For every 25 pounds Willie lost, I lost 10. People noticed his change long before they noticed mine. It was a blow to my self confidence and motivation but I just reached from within. That made me work harder to achieve what I wanted from the situation.

Every time I go out there to run, I want to be better. I want to be faster than I was in the previous race. Realistically, that’s not going to happen and it’s something I’ve had to learn to deal with. I’m not going to run every race the same because every race is different. That is one thing I have really learned this year. One race will be super hot and the next one will be winter storm.

Sometimes, it’s just about finishing what you started. It may not turn out the way we wanted but quitters never win. And sometimes winning the battle may just mean making it to the finish. Not quitting, not getting discouraged to the point of quitting.

If you don’t lose with this week, it’s ok. There is always next week. Just regroup and keep pushing forward. Don’t let the little bumps along the way stop you from achieving any goal you may set out in front of you. If you don’t finish, you’ll never know and when you do finish don’t be defeated because it didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to happen.

Growing as a person includes falling sometimes. If we don’t fall, we won’t know how to pick ourselves up. When things come to easy, we don’t appreciate those things. When you truly work for something, hit the bumps AND FINALLY ACHIEVE what we wanted, it feels so good. It feels better than good.

So we may not win every battle, but that doesn’t mean we can win the war! Keep pushing through those difficult times because there will be an end and you’ll be proud of yourself when you reach it.

Race Recap: The Little Rock Marathon – one EPIC …

Race Recap: The Little Rock Marathon – one EPIC race

There are lots of races I get for free or get a discount code for, this was not one of those races. It was worth every penny I paid for it (and it wasn’t that expensive) because of the perks that came along with it. The race directors were amazing and their staff/volunteers just the same! This was one EPIC event! Jes and I early started! She’s a 6 hour marathoner and she thought she needed to extra buffer. I needed to take it slow so I could run the Gusher close to 4:35-4:50 this Saturday. I also needed it…

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Tips to avoid the new work out burn …

Tips to avoid the new work out burn out

It’s the beginning of the year and a LOT of people have resolved to get fit. That’s how the year always starts off right? People flocking to the gym, getting gym memberships and flaking out come February. Those people never see the gym until January of the following year when they plan to do it all over again. All I have to say is: the treadmills and elliptical are packed at my gym around 5:30pm! On a side note, don’t be mean to the new people at the gym.  These people are coming to the gym to accomplish the same…

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Break out of the holiday rut

Break out of the holiday rut

There’s still one big event left in the holiday season but you can break out of the holiday rut now.  Christmas cookies have been consumed and that holiday meal is behind us.  It’s time to get active and burn off those holiday calories.  How exactly can you break out of the holiday rut? Here are some of my suggestions: 1. Just suck it up and work out.  The good thing about being a fitness instructor is I have no choice but to jump right back into the swing of things so I had no problem with it.  I promise if…

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Not the marathon post I planned. St. Jude …

Not the marathon post I planned. St. Jude Marathon was canceled.

This was supposed to be an exciting weekend for us because we had been in training for Willie’s “knock it out of the park” half marathon and my first marathon. But then a little winter storm came into our lives. We probably should have taken the hint when our flight was canceled but we didn’t. We just got in the car to drive to Memphis. Race officials said things were still ago and we didn’t want to miss out on the race. We arrived in Memphis at 1:30 am before the ice storm hit. Friday morning we woke up to…

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Find your motivation

Find your motivation

Happy Friday! I’m getting ready for my 12th half marathon this weekend. The training plan called for an easy 3 miles today so I did that after going to Group Power at 5AM! My biggest motivation for getting up at 5AM to work out is really not having to do it in the afternoon! I’ve been trying to talk to blog readers about their struggles with weight loss and lifestyle change and motivation keeps coming up. Most of the e-mails I get about the weight loss are about my motivation to lose weight and how I stuck with it. Willie…

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Don’t give up even if it’s …

Don’t give up even if it’s hard to continue

I’ve had rough start to the week and my mind has been playing tricks on me. If you didn’t know, I’ve been taking swimming lessons because I have this crazy idea of becoming a triathlete. I like to run and I LOVE my bike, but I can’t swim very well. Let me be honest, I thought I could swim a little bit but I was wrong. On Monday I had a swimming lesson and I got frustrated with myself. My mind was already NOT there concentrating on the pool and I had previously ran 3 miles and rushed off to…

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Counting the blessings

Counting the blessings

Being in the public eye comes with lots of benefits like being about to share our story and inspire others but it also comes with haters! There’s been a huge surge in coverage on us and the haters are out and I’ve been the focus of some of their hate. I am blessed that our story is out there so that we can inspire and motivate others. I thought this would be the perfect time to count my blessings for everyone to see. So here I go: 1. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who is MY BEST…

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Q&A video: Cheat meals, motivations, portion control …

Q&A video: Cheat meals, motivations, portion control and more

It’s here! We finally made the video and got everything to a decent point. I am glad that we did this video to answer your questions. Maybe next time around I won’t be so amped up. It may have been the two ice coffees I had before we recorded. Whoops! The video is in two parts so watch both parts. And if you have a question you would like to ask use the contact form, tweet me or ask it on Facebook! Part I: Cheat Meals, Foods we eat and avoid, portion control Part 2: Motivations and energy boosters

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Tunes Tuesday: Inspiration To Go

Tunes Tuesday: Inspiration To Go

I’m a firm believer that music does help guide a workout so that’s why I’ve put together some songs that may help you push through the best and worse workouts! This is your inspiration to go list! It’s always great to have a good motivational song come on while I’m working out because it sometimes gives me a second wind when I need it the most. When I know I’m going to have a challenging day at the gym or on a run, I will put this playlist on. What song pushes you through your work out?

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Wait, do you think you’re special?

Wait, do you think you’re special?

I’m sitting here at Starbucks with my iced coffee prepping the blog for the week.  I wanted to take a minute to talk about the issue of being special after receiving an e-mail from a reader a couple of weeks ago.  The e-mail basically told me that I thought I was above everyone and I don’t offer any help to anyone.  It ended with a simple question, why do I think I’m so much more special than everyone else? The simple answer to this questions is no.  I don’t think I’m special and I don’t think Willie and I are…

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