It's OK to be last #running #MEC #5km

You may have noticed that there haven't been many race or training recaps on Instagram or the blog, lately. A few things happened...

sick kids
sick self
travelling husband
sleep deprivation

It's been a rough few weeks, but Saturday meant race day for my November race, and I met it head on in the brightest of fashion.

Colin said I'm a 'little loud' for my #ldnont #MEC 5km today...I told him to stuff it

A photo posted by Shannon Moyer-Szemenyei (@sweetstellas) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:51am PST

Saturday was -3C (that's about 26F for you American folks), so I layered up and met up with my friends at the park for the MEC5km.

This is the part where I get honest and vulnerable. About 1.5km into the race, I thought to myself...

Whose stupid idea what this? I am so tired after having been sick for a week and a half, taking care of sick babies, doing school drop off and pick up, and being on all the time. I haven't run since the Scotiabank Waterfront 5km. Oh my god, another hill. I want to go home. 

Then I resolved with myself to just burn rubber down the hill and see how I felt. This wasn't my first time on this particular course; it was the same route as the Run for Retina, which I ran at 7 months pregnant. Here I was, 4 moths postpartum, and dreading every hill and pretty much every step.

I saw 10km racers passing me, which didn't exactly help my morale. I reached the water station, and half way point, and the route marshall asked if I was on the 5km or 10km route. When I showed him 5 on my hand, he told me it was the turn around. I said that's the best news I've heard all day. You're amazing! Then the words on Fun rang in my ears

It hurts at first, but it gets better.

I tried to conquer those hills. I tried with every ounce of my frozen being to reach the finish.

I must have been at about the 4.5 km marker when I saw a few racers who were very clearly done. They started clapping and cheering. I passed one gentleman who yelled You're doing great, hunny!! and I just was beaming.

I realized something in that moment, and pushed myself to keep running, keep going, to be present in that moment.

Thoughts on coming last coming to the blog soon! #nikeplus #ua #mec #ldnont #running #iwillwhatiwant

A photo posted by Shannon Moyer-Szemenyei (@sweetstellas) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:58am PST

Coming in last really isn't a bad thing at all, and on Saturday it was exactly what I needed. I had so many people at the finish, cheering me on. Smiling with me. Encouraging me. Yelling my name, even.

For me, coming in last meant that I had my community waiting for me to finish. They were there, they were present, and they were cheering.

It's ok to be last, and you know why?

Because it means you finished. Against every thought in your brain, ever sore muscle, ever numb toe...you finished.

And that's amazing.

 

Setting Goals #running #ua #iwillwhatiwant

After the Oasis Zoo Run, while we were walking around and seeing some of the animals, I casually said to my husband My goal is to feel confident enough to race in a sports bra and leggings. 

Six years ago, at 180lbs at my wedding day, I would never have uttered those words. Sports bras were made for going under clothing...not being the clothing.

Four years ago, at 205lbs, I would have laughed in your face if you had of told me that one day, this would be my ideal racing outfit.

Goal Running Outfit by sweetstellas featuring a head wrap headband

When it comes right down to it, I am finding myself becoming increasingly obessed with funky running clothes. I always have a one or two basic items (like the headband and leggings above) that I pair with funky shoes and a tank. So...why not a funky sports bra to go along with it, only ditching the tank before the race begins.

It's intimidating, but given all of the training that I will be doing over the next few months, I don't really think it's that unrealistic of a goal.

I chose the items above for a few reasons. The sports bra has a great design to it and I like that it has a criss cross back instead of a racer back. It's a mid-impact bra so I know that it will be good for running.

The leggings are heat gear from Under Armour, which means that not only are they compression to help with muscle recovery during and after your race, they help you stay cool and dry while you are hitting the pavement. I've really loved running in compression pants and find that they truly do help my muscles to move properly, and recover quicker, so having more options in my running drawer is essential.

The shoes...oh the shoes. I know that I am going to have to retire my Micro G Toxic Six's after Disney (at the very latest, next spring) and I really love how lightweight Under Armour running shoes are, so I'm looking to replace them with a new pair. I love the design and color of the new Speedform's. They have storm technology to repel water from the shoe, which is awesome since some of my training involves hiking. These shoes are also made for trail running, meaning that they are supportive, lightweight, and have great grip for added stability.

And the headband. Now that my hair is so much longer than when I started running over a year ago and I am currently growing out my bangs from blunt to side swept, I like having a headband when I am racing. But that means finding the right headband, and one that doesn't slide on the hair. The UA Perfect Headband fits the specs of what I am looking for, and has great subtle detailing in the tucked design.

So...there's my goal. And when I get to the point when I feel that confident...I will rock it. Every stitch, every item. Rock. It.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

That time I spoke at BlogHer...

Seriously the most nerve wracking thing, and I will be forever grateful for my fellow panelists Tabatha and Erin for being equally nervous.

After the intros, Erin talked about writing a mission statement for your blog. What are you goals? What do you want to get out of writing? Do you want to further yourself as a professional writer, or establish connections with brands?

Whatever the reason or goal behind your blog, write it down and be serious about it. Be true to who you are and where you are in this moment; let it flow naturally, and know that it is okay if it changes a few months from now.

After that, we talked about the dreaded stats. Tabatha summed it up really well when she admitted that her analytical brain has a profound love for stats, but that they do not define her as a person or a blogger. I found that really powerful.

I talked about letting your authentic voice shine through in your writing. When we open ourselves up to being our true selves, and write with abandon, the companies who want to work with someone in your field will come, and amazingly don't care too much about pageviews and UVM.

I also talked about helping one another. Blogging can get really competitive, but we need to remember the reasons why we started; we had something to share. Act with grace, and treat others with respect. It will get you much further in the online community if you respect yourself and the others around you than acting otherwise.

All in all, the session was great and it was awesome to see so many nodding, laughing, smiling and having AHA moments while we were speaking.

We invite you to continue to engage with us and ask questions whether you want help writing your mission statement or want to know about changing the topic of your blog and how to engage your readers in an authentic way!