#8

Last weekend I ran in the Go St. Louis 5K. It was a great experience and I'm super proud of myself because I jogged the whole thing! It's my first time in my 4 years of running to do that. This was my eighth 5K. I was pretty nervous about it overall, but I was 'in the zone' that day and that was everything. By the time I reached mile #2, I wasn't letting myself stop!!

I changed how I trained for this one and it paid off. Instead of running on tracks, I ran around our property. I was able to figure out one lap around the property was 0.25 miles. So I ran and ran and ran for the weeks leading up to my 5K. Sometimes the weather forced me inside on the treadmill, which I hated every second of, but I did it.

While I ran around the property, I was able to take some awesome photos. I ran either in the morning or the evening so there was some excellent lighting. I even had a running buddy...

My walking/running buddy, Loki. He goes about 3 laps and then he has to take a break. 😻☺️

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:04pm PDT

3.1 miles. 🙌 I wouldn't say I'm ready, but 1.5 in I decided might as well go the whole way! #run #5k #gostlouis

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 5, 2016 at 5:50pm PDT

Morning walk/run. I'd rather always run outside even if that means a lot of hills and uneven terrain. Last workouts before my first 5K in a year and a half this weekend.

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 4, 2016 at 6:32am PDT

My next 5K is coming up and I'm excited for it. I'm just hoping to beat my last time of 42:24.

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 9, 2016 at 7:06am PDT

All in.

Lately, this phrase has been coming to mind a lot. Life is busy, but I'm trying to be all in everything I do.

I have definitely been all in to my homework. I took one class this term, and I have gotten nothing but A's and B's. Slowly getting my focus back. It's really hard. I just want to sit around when I get home from work. :)

Work is busy. I find myself wanting more out of what I do lately. But, in the spirit of not wanting to make a big change yet and "bloom where I'm planted", I'm trying to make it work. I am thankful for my coworkers. They get me through the day.

Project Life. What to say? I am so behind! I'm frustrated. I've had thoughts of not doing it next year. Making time for it is just not happening lately. I'm in a state of trying to balance everything, and it is low on the priority list. Work, Cameron, homework, a still-new relationship... all of these things come first. Rightfully so. Oh, and the relationship? So good. I'm definitely all in. It is not without it's challenges, but all in all, I'm pretty sure the happiest I've ever been.

I took a leap of faith and started a Scentsy business last week. Direct selling was something I'd been considering doing for a while. I sold Arbonne for a few years a while back, but it wasn't the right time or the right product. This feels like the right time and the right product. I need the extra income for sure. Living on my income alone is rough right now. I've decided to go all in to my business. I want this to happen, I want this to work. I met with my sponsor in the first few days. My goal is to sell $500 in product by November 30th. It seems like a crazy goal, but I said that when it came to my fundraising and then I think of what I accomplished there. I definitely want to follow in my sponsor's footsteps and make this an approachable thing. I pinky promise I will not be shoving Scentsy bars in your face constantly. :)

I have my second run on Saturday. I am going to try my hardest to run it all. I'm terrified. I haven't ran in weeks. It got colder and boy, I just lost all motivation. We'll see how it goes, but I'm going to try.

Setting goals. Making plans. Just starting. All in. Showing up.

This is life right now, and it's pretty darn good.

My first 6K.

It's been almost a month since my first ever run in St. Louis. I wrote a bit about running in a few previous posts. I wanted to kind of take a post to really write about that day though. I woke up early around 5:30AM so I could have breakfast before. I stayed at the Hilton at the Ballpark, so I was very close to the stadium. I had toast and an orange and some water. I made it to the ballpark at 7AM to register. The line wasn't too long, and I made it right through.

I waited along with everyone else by the Stan Musial statue. I was a little anxious, but mostly just ready to run. The nerves didn't hit until I took my place in line. I took a position towards the back since I wasn't sure I could keep a good 10 minute pace the whole time. As I listened to the national anthem play, the nerves really hit and all I wanted to do was RUN. We were getting a late start as it was since they waited an extra 15 minutes for everyone to get registered.

I had read we weren't allowed to have earbuds. Most of the participants had them though. Definitely never running without them ever again. It was really, really hard running without my music. I'd never done it before that day. I walked a bit of the way around mile 2 because my foot went numb. I wasn't thrilled with how I ran (I think I would've done better with my music!), but I was proud of myself because I finished. And really, a 13 minute mile isn't that bad.

Overall, the experience was very good. I more than reached my goal (my goal was to run a 5K before the end of the year), and, for once, I really stuck to something I wasn't sure I could do. It sounds cliche, but it showed me that if I work hard, I can do anything I want to. Crossing the finish line inside Busch Stadium was amazing.

I hated running prior to starting my training, but now I really love it. All I could think of after I finished was "I want to do this again" and "I want to go a longer distance" and "I want to keep doing this". I am considering running in the St. Louis Half Marathon. There are thoughts in my mind that I won't be able to run 13.1 miles, but then again, I thought I couldn't ever run 3 either. Either way, I am definitely doing the Cardinals Care 6K again.

Here's to going futher and pushing yourself.

It is about the journey...

In the beginning of February, I bought Asics running shoes with the goal of doing a 5k by the end of the year. At first, I was worried about the purchase. Would I stick with this or was this just something else I would quit if it got too hard? (I have a habit of doing that - I'm working on it.) I started using the Ease Into 5K app. The very first workout of the app was a struggle, but I went at least 3 times a week. I bought a very nice jogging stroller, another purchase I questioned. I hated that thing. It was so hard to push and steer. It gave me an excuse not to go a few times. But it was when I hit a wall at week 4 that I really started to get frustrated. I accepted that I may never get past that week, and I kept going, and would you believe it? I got past it. I had a breakthrough after doing it for 4 weeks in a row. (Yes, that's right, I did it for 4 weeks.) I had never liked running, but not even half way through my training, I realized I missed it if I didn't go. Now I love it. I've had a bit of a rough year personally, and it has been really therapeutic.

There have been many times I've wanted to quit. When I first started, I was very sore. I still get shin splints occasionally. When I got frustrated, I cried and said I couldn't do it. In February and March, it was really, really cold. I've been sidelined by allergies and heat. I could have quit, but I didn't. And in less than 4 days, all of that will have been worth it when I cross the Cardinals Care 6K finish line inside Busch Stadium. This run is so much more than a run to me. It is the completion of a goal, and as silly as it may sound, a dream. It is proof to myself that I can do something if I work hard and really try. It is proof that you can turn something you dislike into something you love.

I am just so darn proud of myself. Go me.