Our health is the greatest wealth we will ever know. Most of the time, we’ll never realize how “wealthy” we are until we succumb to some sort of condition or obstacle to remind us how easy it really is to take the time out to take care of ourselves.
Is drinking 20 oz of cola really worth continuing insulin medication? Are the double cheeseburgers worth the digestion issues? Can 2 cheese enchiladas be worth the stomachache and lethargy that follows consumption?
I keep returning to the same old adage — an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Spending 8-10 hours a week training for a sprint triathlon or a road race helps keep my physical and mental health in check, my waistline to a healthy minimum, and keeps the doctor away. That time I “save” by eating fast food and skipping a workout costs me so much more in the long run — it fosters an unhealthy habit of putting my vitality on the line for the sake of convenience. My actions subconsciously tell me that my health and well-being is not worth the investment. Is the world really going to reap the benefits of meticulous design, coding, marketing, etc if it stems from an unhealthy lifestyle? Probably not. If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anything else. It’s plain as day.
On a lighter note, I took my new shoes out for a quick 5K around the neighborhood last night. I can still feel the lingering pain in my shins from those really old shoes but I feel so much better! I can’t believe I kept going with those bad boys. If I had only replaced those shoes sooner I’d probably would be training more regularly and be a lot farther along with my progress. I probably wouldn’t have gotten sidelined by a lack of motivation because I wouldn’t have had something to complain about! (Here comes the adage again…)
In trying to fall asleep, I was able to finally flip through some of the latest issues of Runners World that have been sitting on my desk for the last few weeks. I came across an ad for the Sea Wheeze Half Marathon in Vancouver (only a few hours drive north from Seattle). Is anyone I know running it? I’d be curious to do another international event! It might keep me motivated enough to keep going. My favorite incentive is travel!! Do you think I’d be able to handle tri training and half marathon training again simultaneously? Why do I always insist on front-loading my ambitions and schedule? I’m not a lululemon fangirl (I run in cheapie stuff I find at Target and Big 5) so maybe the excitement is lost on me? I’m more so pumped to run a new city!
Amara in Training 