Run 4 Your Life DSM

23/09/2023

An amazing day for a 5k! Thank you to everyone that came out!

23/09/2023

Our 1st 5k is complete! Thank to everyone that came out to participate and those of you who contributed! It was so awesome to see all of you out there! We will be working on getting photos up soon!

23/09/2023

It's going to be a beautiful morning for a walk/run!

23/09/2023

Tomorrow morning at 8am! Run/walk to remember those lost to mental illness and help raise awareness of how to treat it!

22/09/2023

Packet pick up today 3 to 6 pm. Come pick up your packets for some fun suprise gifts!

29/08/2023

Our shirt design is in! Make sure you register early to make sure you get yours!

27/08/2023

24/08/2023

5 miles today on the dreadmill as it is over 100 degrees here. 1st run thus week just with schedules and I wish it would have felt easier. Oh well. Slowed it down and got it done. Looking forward to cooler weather and less humidity.

24/08/2023

We had a chance to speak on WHO13 about our event on September 23.

Take a few minutes to listen if you would.

19/08/2023

Todays run was definitely a challenge. 18 miles is a long way to go, especially on a new route. All kinds of challenges, including a double loop, running on gravel trails, which I rarely do, heat and lots of sun.

I was forced to slow down, had to even walk at a certain point, messed up my planned fueling. But...the miles got done. It is so easy to just give up when something gets hard. Trust me, at a certain point, I just wanted to walk the last 4 miles. We have to endure. We have to tell ourselves that those goals are worth achieving. Even if we have to readjust, take a different approach or slow down we can make things happen.

17/08/2023

Its interesting in that I have been "seriously" running for about 4 years now, and that 1st mile of any run is always questionable. By "serious" I mean following a training plan and trying to improve times/distances. It feels like no matter how long I am at this, it can always take a bit to get into the groove. One meme I have been seeing a lot lately is to "never trust the 1st mile of a run" While we have to be cautious with this, I agree. That 1st mile is where you start to get loosened up. You start to find your groove and your pace.

Again, a perfect analogy for life, especially when you start something new. The 1st time you do something its going to be extremely uncomfortable. Even after doing something for a long time, it can still take a bit to get into the grove that you know. while there may be some important indicators that tell you to stop, more often then not, it is just nerves or overthinking. If you know it is something you want to do and you have a plan in place, fight through the fear to just quit. Rather then 'Forget Everything And Run, Face Everything And Rise"!

14/08/2023

I realized today that I have fallen behind in posting here, and for that I apologize.

Monday is the recovery run on my training plan, so it is usually pretty short, comparatively speaking to the rest of my weekly runs. There was a very strong wind out of the west, which just felt daunting this morning. I seriously contemplating changing up my route to avoid the wind, but realized that would defeat the purpose of running. So often in life when we encounter something difficult, it is easy to just change direction or give up. The only way we get better is by facing those difficulties and working through them.

Athletes know this, especially from a physical perspective, but it applies to a mental aspect as well. Overcoming those difficulties in physical training gives us practice and experience to overcome those difficult situations mentally. It teaches us to make adjustments, but to keep moving forward. So, if today you are feeling like things are too difficult, slow down and just put one foot in front of the other. You will make it to the other side!

07/08/2023

Today was a 4 mile recovery run. I must admit, I generally don't treat recovery runs as such. I'm usually too focused on getting them done quick and I have a bad habit of thinking less of them because they are shorter distances.

In reality, slowing down, sticking to the plan and doing things correctly would be far more beneficial for long term success in running and training. I think we run into this when it comes to our mental health as well. Its too easy to just rush through the steps that we know we need to take in order to move forward. We need to slow down and think through those things that are bothering us, or reach out to the appropriate resources, not just gloss over them.

I had yesterday off and read a book by Kelsi Sheren called Brass and Unity, detailing her combat experience and her battle with mental health. I highly recommend it. The mind is such a fickle thing and its amazing how easy it is for us to get caught in that downward spiral. Make sure that you are taking the time to take care of yourself. Get the sleep you need, get the exercise you need. Do the hard things you need to do for your mental health.

05/08/2023

14 Mile training run today. I had planned to try to run with a local running group, not sure if I got the time wrong, or everyone was busy. I went ahead and did it anyway, especially since it was on one of my favorite trails.

Running is very interesting in that it is both very individual, but also very group oriented. I tend to run on my own, but I love the crowds that show up for race events and the comradery that you encounter in races as well as on the trails. Again, I think is a great analogy for life. When it comes to making changes in your life, or to accomplishing things, it is entirely in your own hands. You have to make it happen. You can have support from people in your life, but they cannot do it for. You must have the fortitude and the willingness. You must do the work.

What are you striving for? What are you hoping to accomplish?

03/08/2023

7 miles last night and 8 this morning. 93% humidity was a challenge this morning. With the temps and humidity I have started carrying water with me. I have to admit, I am not a fan of either the belt system I have or the hydration pack. However, they are vital if I want to stay healthy. I spent the 1st 2 miles this morning struggling with getting my belt settled, even though it was set up exactly the same as last night. I finally got it adjusted and it was fine the rest of the run.

Sometimes there are things we have to do, or make adjustments to in life that we don't want to, but re necessary. We have to ensure that we don't give up just because something is hard, or annoying or not going exactly the way we want it to. This is especially true of our mental health. we have to be self aware enough to realize when we are struggling with something and know how to make those adjustments, or to ask for help on how to make them.

What's something you have been struggling with, or something that you have fought through and been successful?

31/07/2023

Today was an easy 4. Its amazing how great temps in the low 70's feel after so many days of 90+ temps. Its a good reminder that we need to appreciate the little things. While I set a distance for my run (well, the training plan set it) I didn't care so much about my time. I ran how I felt. I listened to my body and my soul, sometimes I ran to to the music I was listening to.

Yesterday was a day off and it was time to do the weekly cleaning of the house. Normally I hate this and put it off as long as I can, however, last week I had 3 days off in a row and did a deep clean on things that hadn't been touched in a long time. The benefit was that yesterday, it barely took anytime to clean the house. We need to continue to remember to do the little things on a regular basis so that they don't pile up and overwhelm us.

Today starts a new week and tomorrow starts a new week. As Jocko Willink says "Get up, Dust off, Recalibrate, Re-engage, Go out on the attack!"