Pay It Forward!

It can be so easy to focus on the negatives but life is so much better if you pick out those little things that make you smile and keep you going. Encouragement and motivation comes from all different places as do comments designed to bring you down. Ignore the naysayers - they want you to fail and pick out those little gems of motivation that get you through the tough times. I am really lucky that my family and friends are all incredibly positive but I hear awful stories from people on instagram, boards and facebook about people who just hear negativity all the time. If you have those people in your life BLOCK THEM OUT! Take your motivation from those who are in it with you! The internet is filled with advice, help and encouragement! 

You can find it anywhere. I went out for my run last Sunday and I was feeling positive but a little tired. I always go for my long run in the Phoenix Park. It's a kilometer and a half from my house to the entrance and while it's not far, hitting that small incline at the start can be a bit of a killer if it hits you the wrong way. As I was trundling along trying to focus on getting to the first roundabout, a woman came towards me walking her dog and we made eye contact. She smiled and said "Fair play to you' - just 4 little words, but it was exactly what I needed right at that point to keep me going. It just put me in a good mood and I felt myself smiling at and acknowledging all the runners as I passed and my run passed quite nicely. 

Then out of nowhere as I was heading back towards the gate I found myself watching my feet, I had hit a small minor slump but just as I was letting it get to me, there on the pavement were 3 more little words...'You're Nearly There'. I am not sure if there was a race or running group on the same route as me but it made me smile, lift my head and press on and then just a few meters on from that a little boy smiled at me and gave me a high five.

My run was the same as always but these few people made it memorable and gave me the extra push I needed when I was feeling my energy drop. I usually let all those people who like to take up the whole path and not move for anyone so you literally have to press yourself into the wall or run on the road to get around really get to me and make me angry, but I hardly noticed them on Sunday. That lady at the start of the park didn't know me, she didn't have to acknowledge me never mind say something nice but she did. So I decided I'm going to do the same and try to not ignore people. I'm not going to turn into one of those crazy people who say hello to everyone they walk past, but I'm going to make an effort not to look through people but to smile a bit more. If I see someone who may appreciate a nice word or a word of encouragement I will pass it on and hope it had the same effect on them as it did on me. 

I've learned a few other things this week, its ok to take a day off if you are sick. I was not well yesterday and so I skipped my Tuesday training run and stayed home from work. I felt so guilty about missing both that I made myself get up this morning and do my run today instead. While I was well enough for work today I most definitely should not have gone running. We all need to let our body heal and repair and I have to remember that in the future. All better now and looking forward to a proper run tomorrow. 

Also upping my daily propoints and fat intake worked and I lost a whopping 5lbs this week. I am keeping it up this week and I feel like I have a lot more energy. I actually have cut out my carbs during the day and just eating them in the morning and evening mid week to fuel my runs and lunch time is high fat and protein. This is working for me so I will stick with it while I can. 

I am feeling great about my progress and have set the wheels in motion for the half marathon in October! The sun is out and nothing can stop me now!