RunMyssieRun

2020 sure has screwed up a lot of plans for us huh? 2020 is the year I turn 50 and for the last 8 years I was telling myself that I’d do a full Ironman when I turned 50. Little Miss Rona laughed at me and said “hold my beer”… *poof*

What do you do when the world is smack dab in the middle of a pandemic, am confined to my home for quarantine and the big Five-Oh rolls around? Nothing. That’s what. All races canceled. And who’s there to help you? Carbs. Yes, carbs…. y’all, I’ve become a flabalanche of regrets!!! And now I must pay the price for my bad judgement. 😩

Ohhhhh but it’s not all bad. I’ve become more aware of my bad habits. I’ve learned how my body reacts to stress. I’ve learned there’s ALWAYS a way to get to your goal, it just may not be the way you originally planned it to be or at the time you wanted it at. I’ve grown my respect for those who have the tenacity to endure. I’ve learned there’s more like me out here in the world that struggle in all the ways I do and in even more ways than I could ever understand. We fall and we get up again.

But getting up again at 50 is sooooo much harder than getting up at 40!!! Thank goodness I still have my sense of humor and have allowed myself grace.

Remembering my daily workouts helped me with my business and my spiritual and mental health. Just like doing your sprints, fartleks and long runs on different days of the week for months, you must put in your trainings and workouts for work and emotional well being. I learned to time block and schedule activities for my business just as if I was training for a marathon. On one day I would dedicate a certain number of hours to focus on computer inputs, the filing, the processing, the customer communication, the continuing education, etc. On another, I would focus on showings, listings or marketing my properties. For those “long run” days, I’d fit in as much as I could watching pace and form correcting as much as I could about myself so I could do more and better the next time. And I scheduled rest day, too. Marathoning taught me how to be a better entrepreneur and my life, my clients, my bank account and my family have welcomed the benefits of it.

Same pattern of behavior went towards my spiritual and emotional practices. All my friends, family, clients and fellow Realtors know that at 7:00 EVERY day, I am praying. At first I hesitated telling anyone that I was unavailable for them because of prayer but I have yet to get a response that lacked support and understanding. In fact, many of them have asked that I keep them in prayer for a special intention.

Unfortunately, the lack of training and the sudden splurge in excess carbohydrates have reeked havoc on my booty and belly and endurance. I knew what I had to do. Quarantine opened my eyes to a lot of things I took for granted and things I needed to prioritize. My health and family got immediately pushed up and I had to make changes ASAP. I began remodeling my home to accommodate these changes.

I terminated and removed ALL excess expenditures including my family’s multiple gym memberships. I used those savings and bought used equipment and converted one bedroom into my home gym. And y’all know me by now… When I decide to do something, I go 110%. It has EVERYTHING so there’s no excuses.

I make time for peace now just like I do my workouts. Go outside, escape from the news, stress, people, disconnect from social media. I have become so close to nature now that I’ve been called Snow White by my friends. I’m even applying for a permit to officially be able to rehabilitate birds. And this is probably one of the most surprising things I’ve learned over this short period of non-running time…

I’ve rescued and released about 50 birds to date but one stands out. I named him Nemo because he has a gimpy wing. A kind stranger dropped him off at my home after he was attacked by a dog. Half of his right wing was bitten off and all of his tail was gone. But his will to live was something to marvel at. As each day passed, he grew stronger and calmer around me. His feathers are growing back and he looks at that perch 6 inches above him the same way I look at the finish line from mile 22. So close! So close yet so far away!!! When I first received him, I didn’t think he would fly again much less live the next day. Today, one month later, I think he’s on his way to prove me wrong. And I hope he does!!!

I hesitate on saying I’ll never run competitively again. Nemo reminded me that the word never is just as useless in my vocabulary as impossible. I do have another goal though. Few know about it… but just like the perching bar six inches above Nemo, I’m staring right at it and once I make the decision to do something…..