This post was sponsored by Indiana Dairy. That means I was compensated for this post. For more details, you can read my Disclosure Policy. You get to read about my Royal Running Adventures, I get a few dollars in the Royal Coffers. All is well and royally swell. This post was not edited or reviewed by anyone else as you can tell by my grammar and crazy random thoughts. I always give you my honest opinions in any Royal Review or Give Away post, that’s a Royal Guarantee!
Hi friends, who have followed along with my running journey. You’ll remember that last spring I ran the CASA Superhero Run.
All in all, it was a great run and I began training more intensely for the Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon. I had a couple of injuries and in the middle of my training went on an adventure of a lifetime in Maine where I hatched this crazy idea of submitting a book proposal to the re:write conference. I’m not sure if I ever went on record here on Queen of Free that I ran the Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon on the very same day that I submitted the proposal. We also had a big dinner out that evening with our community group, celebrating three of our daughters beginning middle school. It was kind of a day for the books.
While I did finish the Indianapolis Women’s Half, I’ll be honest, it was NOT pretty. Let’s start with the fact that it was um THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR in the Indianapolis. I am she of a fair complexion. The sun, is rarely a friend when in direct contact with my skin. I’m pretty sure if I think really hard right now, while sitting inside on the couch, I could get a sunburn if I tried.
Even with the stress of the book proposal and the knowledge of the heat and sun, I set out to at least run the entire 13.1 miles. Up until mile 10 I was actually clicking, on pace not to break any personal records but to at least finish well. That was when I turned on to Capitol Avenue. What remained was the longest 3.1 miles of my life. I use the word run loosely because occasionally I walked. Then, I would run again because I figured it would take me longer to finish when I walked and all I wanted to do was get into a car with air conditioning. Or lay down on the street and take a nap.
One of the last straws was turning the corner at West and Washington near the Eiteljorg Museum. I literally watched the King of Free and the Princesses pull into the parking garage. I waved my arms like a madwoman trying to get their attention, just so maybe I could get a little motivation to finish the last mile or so. Sadly, they didn’t see me but the knowledge they were there spurred me on a bit more.
Oh and did I mention that they were flying the Red Flag at each of the water stations?! That’s the “By the way you might DIE if you keep running this thing” warning, people. Still, I trucked through that final mile and even tracked down the milk man from Prairie Farms for a photo op. Notice how I am as white as the shirt that I am wearing? Heat exhaustion much?
Don’t let the happy smile deceive you. That girl? The one who is all cheesy happy with her chocolate milk? Her shirt was SO nasty that she had to request a new one from Indiana Dairy. It basically looked and felt like a wet suit. I did love the medal . . . sparkles are so pretty. I wore that badboy for a very long time after the run. Probably too long. Also, I recovered well in the park. I was SO happy to get into an air conditioned car. Then I came home and had to lay flat on the ground, perfectly still so that I would not throw up (note: I drank my chocolate milk later in the afternoon so it was NOT the milk).
Then I took a shower, finished editing my book proposal, said a prayer, and hit send.
So let’s just say, since then? Running has not been my favorite thing. In fact, it got a little ugly around here. So ugly that a woman in the grocery store said me, “WOW you look 20 lbs heavier on WTHR than you do in real life!” Granted, she meant well. Granted it was a little rude. But I hear you lady. I’m not exactly rocking my normal healthy self. I think that running a race in the worst heat I have ever experienced combined with the stress of writing the book has taken its toll, friends. It’s time for me to fess up and get a plan.
Which is exactly what I did about 2 weeks ago. I had my dear friend the Lady Holly put me on a training program. I’ve been rocking daily weight lifting workouts (most of them from FitnessBlender which I totally and completely have fell in love with – FREE challenging workouts on YouTube? Yes please). I’ve committed to hitting 10K steps or more each day (I’m getting more consistent as the weeks pass). My fitbit (Yes, I read the article. No, my arm has been burned off) is keeping me accountable and reminding me when I need to get up and move.
I’m searching for my final #WinnersDrinkMilk run as my time with this campaign draws to a close. I need to squeeze in one more run this month & I’m narrowing my choice to a 5K, praying that it’s warm. What would you suggest?
I’m praying this little kick start to my Spring and Summer is exactly what I need to get back on track. I’m so thankful for the ways that #WinnersDrinkMilk has encouraged me to get on the run (even if I suffered a little burn out in the midst of things).
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
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