Hell Hole 10K

On May 12th the city of Washington, Utah (just outside of St George) sponsored a 5k and 10k as part of their week-long cotton days. I'd seen the posters around but never thought of entering it. Although I'm still in the conversion process, I'm really not a runner yet.

Then, last week my friend Yvonne called me and said she was running the Hell Hole 10K and asked me if I wanted to play. I googled it and got excited about the scenic path along the river. Plus, I figured I wouldn't need to get up too early since it's close to home.  I'm not in shape to run a 10K but I knew I'd get a great workout if I participated. When I set out to do a long "run" on my own I end up walking the whole thing. Funny how that happens. It was a nice morning with great weather and a fun crowd. The course didn't disappoint until I got to the stinky part of the river! For the most part it was quite enjoyable with hills and twists and a nice stretch along the Virgin river.

I walked about half of the first two miles and then jogged the remaining four. That was pretty good for me and I was surprised at how relatively easy it was. That easy pace took me an hour and 7 minutes to finish but it's all good! Yvonne got second in her division and won a gift certificate to the Pizza Factory. Yeah Yvonne!

30-Day Raw Food Trial

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

I need to figure out how to make it work this time. I keep trying and failing or quitting. Then I wait for a moment of intense motivation to start another attempt. But they always end the same way. Because nothing has really changed except how I feel at that moment. I usually get really motivated to try again when I'm completely full, or recovering from a binge, or discouraged about body image and lack of self control. I rarely (okay, never) decide to "be good" when my daughter has created a batch of her super delicious cookies. That's usually when I decide I'm due for a "free day."

 So, after getting a bit of advice from Albert, I've decided to change my mind. Not the way I usually do which means regretting a decision, revisiting that decision, changing everything and then starting that process over again. But actually changing my mind by re-writing the script.

First I need to identify the thinking that gets me into trouble. Much of this thinking I've picked up along the way unintentionally. It comes from the media and from childhood observations made with a young, undeveloped mind. I have noticed that the longer I've had certain thoughts, the harder it is to get rid of them. They hide in the dark corners and multiply when I'm not looking. Kind of like cockroaches.

Old thinking:
I'll start the healthy eating thing at the beginning of the month.
I'll start on Monday.
I'll start tomorrow.
I'll start just as soon as I eat this treat that I want right now. And it's okay to eat it because I'm starting a good eating plan immediately afterwards.  (Needless to say I've put on a lot of weight preparing to eat better!) It's like the hcg diet where I'm great at the loading part but not so great at the "quit loading" part.
Just one bite won't hurt.
I've had a hard day so deserve to eat this garbage.
What I eat doesn't really matter anyway.
I'm just going to fail so why suffer any longer? (usually said in front of some temptation)

New thinking:
I'm not "starting" anything. I'm just treating my body better.
There's no time like the present!
"Treats" really make me feel worse after I eat them, mentally and physically.
I am the one who is responsible for my health.
I want to nourish my body with healthy, real foods.
When I nourish my body I also nourish my soul.