Where the fight is..

 "Call me cynical, but original

Tryin' to fit into a world that's so digital

Came to let you know

I left the pigeon hole

Now I gotta find an edge, won't let it go

All I need

It don't let me down, it don't let me down

All I need

And it don't let me down, it don't let me down

Tell me where the fight is..." 

Jake Bugg

A1A Marathon T-30 days. 

Monday, I set out to add a mile or two to my long run putting me at 16 or 17miles. 

My body has stayed strong. My body has stayed injury free. 

So many solo runs to keep my mind focused. 

Andy at the last minute asked if I would like him to join me. I was so stoked. 

The Plan:

Rose Oaks Backroads loop-7.25 miles, X's 2. 

Hydration: 10 oz H2O, 10oz Nuun electrolyte supplement

Nutrition: Gu Roctane Coffee

Target Pace: 9:30-9:45

Tell me where the FIGHT is..

The beauty in training is working for something more.  I love setting goals and working to achieve them. 

These days I feel like I am fighting harder than ever. I feel like more than ever I am fighting against the odds. 

I LOVE the fight. I love fighting all of hell for a taste of heaven. The feeling of being so dependent on God, being so depleted of myself, emptied of self, begging God for another breath, another step, another chance....I love being absolutely nothing only to have Him build me, strengthen me and create me. 

I embrace the physical pain, reminding myself of all the pain this life offers, this world will eat your heart out and we can not give up or give in. We have to fight.

We have to fight to be better. 

"Now I gotta find an edge, won't let it go"

It was rainy and sleety when we started. After the first loop, the sleet turned into snow and the temperatures dropped. 

I kept the pace down, we added 30 second walk breaks every 6 minutes. I have always trained with meticulous walk breaks. It has been proven to help prevent injury and endurance. 

But at 15 miles Andy left me. He left me to finish the last couple miles solo. He jokingly said, "You might as well do 20...."

I ran down that long wide dirt road with nothing but the music in my ears. I questioned everything. Overthinking is one of my favorite character defects. 

"Just do it, find your place....FIGHT.." 

I found myself turning off the dirt road and now running along Milford rd. It was too late to turn back, I was committed, 20 miles.

Find your edge. 

The more I ran, the stronger I felt. My pace dropped, my fists clenched and I felt this goofy smirk shift across my face. 

"Tell me where the FIGHT is.." 

Where is your fight? We all have a fight in us. Use your fight for good. Use your fight to make a difference. 

We are so busy fighting with FEAR, fighting with insecurity, fighting with jealous and pain. 

We fight for all the wrong reasons. 

You want to know where my fight is? 

Its for ME. I am fighting to recover. I will NEVER be the old Anita. Cancer took her. And that is a fight I am not putting my energy towards. 

I am fighting for something new. Something beautiful. I am Fighting for Me. 

I can not fight for anyone else. I can not fight your battles. And I can't fight for you to understand me. 

You have to fight for YOU. Where is your Fight? Be careful what battles you are putting your energy into...Some fights are best never fought....

Kombucha, A MUST in my life. 70-80% of your immune system is located in your gut. They have done several studies on distance runners taking Kombucha and have found runners have less belly issues and less illness.  During my cancer I drank 3-4 of these a week, Synergy, another brand I enjoy has a great story:  

"In late 1994, GT’s mom, Laraine, was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of breast cancer. When she healed, Laraine shared with doctors that she had been drinking a very pungent, homemade tea. That tea was GT’s Kombucha.

Inspired by his mom’s experience, it became GT’s mission to make his Kombucha accessible for everyone, everywhere. At only 15, he began bottling his brew in the kitchen of his parents’ Southern California home and became the first to put Kombucha on shelves in the U.S."

Anita

 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith."