On my team

I apologize for the lack of recipes lately but I've really been focusing on my running lately and have been having a hard time feeling creative in the kitchen. PLUS the husband was out of town for two weeks which pretty much means I don't make a full dinner each night, just grab whatever is around for a "balanced-ish" meal. But he's back and I'm making a new recipe tonight so stay tuned! In the meantime....

I've been thinking about where I draw my motivation and information from. Running does not come naturally to me. I did not run track in high school or cross country. I remember going for training runs with my field hockey team in high school and getting in trouble for cheating on a run. (We were supposed to go for a 40 minute run. We ran to one of the girl's houses that lived close by, ate popsicles and ran back). After college when I wanted to drop my undergrad weight I started working out more on an elliptical and treadmill but wouldn't necessarily say I was a runner.

I started running on-purpose when I started dating my track coach husband. We don't run together typically but he encouraged me to run. I still remember when he convinced me to run a 25k and the farthest I had run up to that point as an adult was probably 4 miles. That winter/spring of training got me hooked on running.

Now, running for me has turned into a way for me to be competitive with myself. I love setting goals and training for a specific goal. I love trying to beat my old time, be better, faster, stronger. I've had a little trouble mentally accepting that I'm not nearly as fast as I was two years ago before my foot reconstruction and pregnancy but I know that in due time I'll be back to where I was, if not better. I love seeing improvement on a daily basis.

When you are working toward a goal, whether it be weight loss, a sport-specific goal or other life goal, its important to have a team of support people around you. This support team helps lift you up, provide knowledgeable information and encouragement. Here is my team roster:

My husband (here's the link to his non-healthy hot dog blog) - he's my main coach
Megan: my strength and conditioning specialist for all those great circuit ideas ;)
Amanda: providing me with knowledge on fartleks and other running jargon
Laurie: Tech consultant, who introduced me to Runner's World training log
Janae: Perseverance coach
My coworkers: Whose constant trash talk with each other and competition within the office drives me!

Who is on your team?

Want to be on my team? What can you offer me??? :)