Have you ever...

heard your alarm go off and think to yourself, "just five more minutes..", so you push the snooze button, and under the warmth of your comforter, fall back to sleep? Then magically the next time you open your eyes you see that the clock says you should already be in your car and on your way. You lay there for a a minute debating whether you should just cancel and go back to sleep or do the right thing. A huge part of you is saying, "forget this...I.want.to.sleep, damn it!" and after thinking about it you decide that it's really mess up to stand up your friend, so you roll out of bed, groggily grab your workout clothes and head to the bathroom.  While sitting on the toilet to pee you apologetically text your friend that you will be a "a bit late" when you really want to text, "we should skip today." Still half asleep and wondering why in the world you are awake at this ungodly hour, you manage to get dress, brush your teeth and put your mess of a hair in a bun.

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Grabbing your shoes, purse and keys you head out the door so fast you forget your water and good attitude and get in the car.  You speed all the way to the meeting place, watching for cop cars and pedestrians and finally arrive and thank the cosmos that you didn't run over anyone. You arrive to see your faithful friend already streching and profusely apologize as you put your running shoes on, and oh yeah, you realize that you must look like a hot mess.  You start the warm up and the run and you realize by the end of the run that you did most of it half asleep as you found yourself bumping into your friend and running kinda squirly.  And you find yourself irritated at how your day started but sigh a sign of relief because as crazy as the morning was, you made it.  Holy moley, you made it!

Has this ever happened to you?

Yeah, me too!    

Love&Hugs,
Bella

What doesn't kill you....

Hey ya'll!! I've been meaning to write this post since Sunday! As Bella has already so lovingly posted, we ran our farthest distance yet on Sunday! Our first week of 1/2 training is OVER!!!!!! Exciting stuff. 

I wanted to write about my experience with the run, since Bella and I feel like we want to be honest and hopefully inspire some of you out there. Or at least help you know that if you're struggling, you're not alone. 

First off, it seems that every time we have to "up" our mileage I psych myself out beforehand. I can't help it. Running intimidates me still. Well....one mile no longer intimidates me. Two miles no longer intimidates me. Heck, three miles no longer intimidates me! But when I think of running FOUR freaking MILES??? Yeah. Intimidation city. Bella tried to get me to shake it out, and she's the BEST motivator. But then I saw all the Army dudes! Eeeek! Running in front of an audience?! At least, for the most part, I was able to run past them with some semblance of proper running form and not-out-of-breathness, but it did nothing for my already on-edge nerves. Also, for whatever reason, my legs just felt like lead. Usually, once we start running, my calves feel sore and tight and then they loosen up after about a mile. Or I'll have quite a time with my breathing. The humidity here on this tropical island is not really my friend. But Sunday morning I just felt like I was running through molasses. (Sidenote: I never knew what molasses was. I knew my mom loved to pour it over homemade biscuits and that I always just didn't like it enough to love it. It's actually made from sugar cane!)

Anyways, after mile two I was having a mental breakdown. And lately, when I have a mental breakdown while running (which is oddly the only time I seem to have them), I NEED to walk for AT LEAST one minute. So, I walked while Bella hopped beside me. She listens to her body too, and she knows that if she stops then she'll never start again. So I'm walking, very slowly feeling life come back to my legs, while Bella encourages me and never leaves my side, even though I feel awful that she has to run in place like that! She says it feels good, so I just catch my breath and we start again. Then mile three rolls around and I hit a huge mental hurdle. I have to walk again. One, two minutes go by, and I finally get the courage to start once again. Bella mentions she might need to use the ladies room and I am MORE than obliging to show her the way to the gym on base. Secretly I thought I could guide her there, we'd stop so she could go inside, and I'd just gloriously lay in the parking lot like someone who died while making snow angels (even though it doesn't snow here). But.....Bella says, "let's run around the block so we can just finish our four miles and THEN go to the ladies room!" Doh!! So, we round the corner into the parking lot...I still have .2 miles to go but we're almost to the gym! Bella takes off to the right, I go straight. As Bella gracefully makes a loop around the bigger part of the parking lot, I sort of zig zag the rest of my mileage, begging my legs to just keep freaking moving until I reach that number on the RunKeeper app. I look down. 4.01. Dang, I went OVER what was a required. What an overachiever....

So, it was a fight to the death. And I had Bella to thank for my victory. She is truly my running savior. She let me cry on her shoulder afterwards. I'm so lucky to have such an encouraging friend who doesn't judge me and who is there for me and totally understands the struggle I'm going through with this running thing. But despite my struggle, or maybe because of my struggle, I am very proud of myself. I did it. I walked for about three minutes total, but I actually did run four miles. I RAN FOUR MILES. Wow.

Today we did our own strength training workouts and tomorrow we run another three miler. I know I can do it...because I have Bella.

This is a screenshot of my RunKeeper summary after the run. Bella's will be a bit different since we split at the very end and she kept hopping while I walked during the run. But for the most part, this was how we did! Our pace was better than ever. Miles 1 and 2 we even kept it under a 12 minute pace! I still can't believe we ran for over 48 minutes. We are the bomb!

~ Chica ~

Week One of 1/2 Marathon Training...Check!

This past Sunday, we (hopefully by now you know that by we, I mean, Chica and I) completed Week One of our half marathon training program.  Before I even go into how this week went, I have to say that I am so, so, so, grateful to Chica for taking the time to really research right program for us, a training program that takes into consideration how new we are at this. I originally suggested a half marathon training program that I found on Runkeeper.  Right off the bat it suggested that we run a five miler in the first week.  Pretty scary for two people whose farthest distance had only been a little over three miles. I know that it sounds like I was super lazy and just picked the first program to "pop up" but I swear I was not that lazy.  Have y'all heard of a little invention called, Google?! I did do a Google search for recommended training programs for beginners, and the ones that I found and clicked on seemed very similar to the one on Runkeeper, so I ended my virtual quest and just stuck with the original one.  See, I was not that lazy, though I am a big enough person to admit that I don't remember clicking past the first page of search results, and to some it may seem that my search was mediocre at best.  (Doesn't anyone else get overwhelmed with all of the gazillion results that pop up with every search??!!  I can't bring myself to go past the first or second page.) In spite of my complacency and "giving-upness", we ended up with an amazing training program (thanks, Chica - muah!!!). See below for the training program we are using: 

So, how is it going so far? I am proud to report that it is going pretty f*ing good. This program is gently pushing us to go a little beyond what we think our limits are and what we are capable of with each and every single run.  All week we kept surprising ourselves with small but steady improvements, most of the time we would just gawk at each other in disbelief.  A tad faster pace, less time feeling sluggish and muscles feeling tight, breathing more in control and one of the runs actually felt like "easy peasy lemon squeezy."  It was the second three miler we had to do for week one and that morning's gab session between Chica and I was so "juicy" (what were we talking about that was so "juicy?"...wouldn't you like to know... nosy!) that before we knew it we had completed the run.  What was in actuality a 37 minute run felt like a mere 10 minutes.  A little part of me wished our run would have been longer so we could have kept talking, but I don't love running that much, so it was only a little part of me that wished that.  

Sunday's four mile run required a change of scenery, so we decided we would run it on base, which is located on a cliff overlooking the ocean. One of the greatest perks about living in a beach community is the beautiful, gorgeous and breathtaking ocean views, and we get to enjoy them whenever we want.   With only the bright full moon lighting the way we started our run and soon found ourselves running with a whole unit of Army people getting their fitness tests done, which includes a two mile run. Embarrassing as it should be for the Army, I have to just say that we easily put the majority of them to shame. There was one guy that after finishing his run looked like he was going to barf, pass out and cry all at the same time.  I kinda felt sorry for him and started to yell to his running buddy to keep the poor guy moving and to not let him sit down.  I kept yelling,  "lift your arms it will help you breath."  I have no idea if lifting the arms helps with breathing or not, but I have seen a lot of people do it and it works for me and I did my duty to share this possibly non factual piece of information with the poor fellow. Maybe, not today but sometime soon, I will Google the heck out of "things to do when you feel fatigue and out of breath after a run" just to see what "pops up.". I might even write a blog post about it. Just, maybe...

I wanted to make the title of this post "1/2 Marathon Training and Perspective", and just share some thoughts on perspective in regards to running, but I gotta be honest with you, I don't really wanna right now.  I am kinda tired from the run and my head is a little foggy...

I end this post with a question for YOU:

What do you think of when you hear the words perspective and running? 

Love&Hugs,

Bella

    

  

Happy Birthday, Chica!!!

Happy Birthday, to you... 

Happy Birthday, to you...

Happy Birthday, dear Chica, 

Happy Birthday, to you!!!

Today is Chica's birthday!  She is turning...even more fabulous and amazing! 

Today, also officially starts our first day of training for our first 1/2 marathon.  

So, here is to hoping that Chica has a wonderful birthday run and day. 

Here is to kicking ass and taking names!

Love you, friend!!!

We ran a 5K...and didn't die!

And we are off...

Excitement in the air? Check.  Running shoes and running gear? Check.  Husbands and kiddos, as cheerleaders? Check and check.  iPhone camera's ready to go? Check.  Perfect paradise-type route and weather? Check and kind of.  It was sprinkling on and off, and thankfully only got rained on for a bit of the run.  Sidenote: Running against the wind + rain = a little torturous, kinda like water boarding one raindrop at a time. 

Took this near the beginning of our run, a motivating and beautiful view!

Yesterday, Chica and I ran our 5K!  We ran along the Jobos Beach running trail and had beautiful sights along the way.  The run went awesome, and despite the times it felt difficult, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt we would make it. Yesterday marked the culmination of nine weeks of training.  Nine weeks of getting up way too early, of running with pain, with illness and sometimes with a terrible attitude.  And, now we can officially say we have completed it.  Chicaaaaaa! We.Did.It!!  If you've googled the Couch to 5K training program, you know that it starts out slow and easy. The first running day requires a 5 minute warm-up and alternate between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.  I remember that very first day and the rest of that week, my lungs felt on fire, my legs wanted to give out and most of the time I was silently telling myself, "don't stop, keep going, push through!"  It is amazing how far we have both come in such a short period of time.  For me, 3.1 miles (5K) is the longest distance I have ever gone without stopping to walk. This was a huge accomplishment for me.    

But, I have another one of my confessions to make, despite all of those accomplishments and improvements I struggled with the lack of joy that I assumed would come at the end of this particular journey.  I did have a brief moment of happiness, but it quickly dissipated.  I envisioned jumping up and down, huge clown smile on my face and wanting to just squeeze Chica.  I did none of those things.  I was in a daze...not even sure if I was really aware of what had just taken place and almost missed noticing when Chica motioned for a high-five.  

Almost done...

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had invited Chica and the Mr. Chica for a celebration breakfast at our house after the run. After high-fiving Chica, we jumped into cars where our hubbies were anxiously waiting with celebratory smooches and all headed to the house.    

Breakfast was a delight, we had cheesy scrambled eggs, organic homemade pancakes with warm maple syrup and bacon.  Lots and lots of bacon! Chica helped me cook this feast and everyone ate until their bellies were satisfied! (Sidenote: I am so grateful to life for allowing us to have good friends who are a good time and we can enjoy doing this with.)  Even our beautiful golden retriever partook of the celebration and got a few bacon treats.    

Chica graciously cleaned up the whole kitchen (yeah, she is that awesome!) and after she and her hubby left, it slowed down enough for me to take some time to breath and think. I thought about the day, the run, my journey thus far and how much already my fitness life has changed.  I went from hating to run and thinking that only insane people and those being chased by a dog ran to now loving and becoming addicted to the feeling during and after a run.  I look forward to the next time Chica and I get to meet and I am still incredulous at the fact that I never gave up. I am amazed that I was able to stay injury free (I am a total klutzo, and in the past always managed to walk away with a bad knee or rolled ankle). I stayed committed, pushing through the hard runs ensuring I would see this through. Then I thought about the journey as a whole.  Chica was and is an amazing running partner, couldn't have chosen better.  In all the times I have tried something like this with a friend, I have to say that Chica was truly the best when it came to accountability and motivation. The encouragement that was exchanged during our runs is simply beautiful.  Sometimes I "carried" her through a difficult run and other times she "carried" me.  No one left behind and we embraced the "hoy pa' mi, otro dia pa' ti" (translated, today for me, another day for you) motto. Lastly I thought about our overall first run stats: 

and our C25K last run stats:

I am sincerly impressed! Can I hear a whoop, whoop??!!  Talk about kicking some serious ass, am I right, or am I right?! 

Yet, despite all of those things.  I felt an unshakeable feeling of disappointment and blahness.  I was disappointed in my letdown. Why wasn't I more excited? Was that feeling of accomplishment just delayed?

Those who know me, know that I google everything... and I googled post-race letdown.  I found a great article on active.com, written by Jack Lesyk, Ph.D, a clinical and sports psychologist.  His articled helped me in realizing that this is pretty common and normal. He writes that even politicians have reported feeling this letdown after a big campaign, win or lose. His article has some great tips on how to beat those post-race blues and I think its a worthwhile read for a beginner runner.  

I also had a great conversation with my best friend, who I will refer to as Sweet Missy, a marathoner who lives in Oklahoma and she had some great tips and advice for me.  She shared some of her personal emotional up and downs experienced during training and races. She said that in her opinion, running is hugely made up of emotional and internals struggles and hurdles that we have to push through. After doing this program, I have to wholly agree. She summed everything up by telling me to just enjoy it; every run, every victory.     

Today I feel better, much, much better.  The heaviness I felt yesterday is gone. Phew! I am extremely proud of myself and Chica for our accomplishments and my heart races a tad just thinking of how anxious I am to start our marathon training next week.  I can't wait to hit the pavement!  This time, though, I will be hitting the pavement reminding myself to free my mind, stay in "the now" and utterly enjoy each and every moment of this journey.  Reminding myself before every run, how truly lucky I am to be able to have the physical capability to get out there and run.   

Have you ever experienced post race letdown?  How have you dealt with it?  

Love&Hugs,

Bella

             

    

Holy Moly...what a workout!

Today, Chica and I, had a arse kicking run!  This run felt more like a workout...it was hills galore.  Every time I saw a new hill, no fail, I would curse.  Not curse words like darn and poop, but the kind that most people would be embarrassed to say in front of their moms.  (I say most, because I have always felt comfy cursing in front of my mom, yeah, we are that close.)  This was the hardest workout I've had in a long time.  Actually, the last time I felt like this was basic training, circa 2000.  Today was hardcore, people!  The first hill was so awful (elev. climb of 165 ft.!!!!!) that we took a 5 second pause just to catch our bearings.  My lungs felt like they were on FIRE!

Did it feel good?  Did it feel great?  Yes, yes it did! Will I be sore? Yes, yes I will.  But, this was an awesome, incredible start to the last week of our Couch to 5K training program.

Tomorrow is run #2 of the last week...whoa...let me catch my breath a second.  Did I just type the word "last"? Oh.My.Odin! I can't believe it... Time indeed does fly when you are having fun.  Or in our case when our asses are being kicked by these runs on a weekly basis!  Here we are on Week 9 of the C25K program and so far we haven't had any major illnesses or injuries! Woohoo!  We decided that after today's workout, tomorrow we will take it easier, easy enough that we can have a conversation but not so easy that we can Facebook while running.   I just learned this is called a recovery run.  We will have one rest day and then its the final run of this program.  The goal: run 3.1 miles.  The Hubs and kiddos are coming out to cheer us on along the way and then we will have Chica and her hubster to our house for a huge celebratory breakfast feast!  I don't know what the runners community's view on bacon is, but this feast will not happen without it.  And none of that Canadian bacon or turkey bacon crap either, we are having the real deal.  Its a special occasion and if it's frowned upon it shouldn't be.  Those are my two cents! 

On the topic of food I will say that I have recently decided that I need to adopt a different mindset when it comes to eating.  As I read and research I am finding a common theme which is that healthy and clean eating goes hand in hand with training for this marathon.  More accurately, fitness and healthy eating goes hand in hand.  One can't exist without the other and if they do one will surely suffer.  I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions, because in the past I have seen that I never actually stick with them, so I won't call it a resolution.  Instead I will call it newfound resolve to try to eat healthier and really think about what I am using as fuel for my body.

So, the other day I got what I like to call a kick in the pants from the cosmos...  About a week ago I stepped on the scale and I weighed in at almost 146 lbs.  I am embarrassed, especially since a couple of weeks ago I posted my sacred numbers and if you read that post you know that I have gained weight since that posting.  My confession is that I really haven't been faithful with my eating and have had way too many brownies and other things that I am too ashamed to mention publicly.  So, while I was not surprised, I was deeply disappointed to see those numbers and it was what I needed to get serious again about my food choices.  Well, two days ago we were invited to a birthday/3 Kings Day party in Cabo Rojo and this old man that we were sharing a table with and who had way too many shots of pitoro (moonshine alcohol, I swear the alcohol % is like 1,000% proof - this stuff is killer, I won't go near it) decided in a drunken stupor to be a a*hole and ask me why I had a little belly.  My answer was that I had two c-sections and his immature response to that was to twist his face and say, "ewwwwww!" What.The.Hell!  In a smart ass move I proceeded to ask him how many c-sections he'd had.  Burn!!!!  Being a girl and quite self-conscious of my left-over belly chubbiness my feelings were deeply hurt, so much that I lost my appetite.  On the way home, I thought about that particular situation and while the old man wildly inappropriate and plain rude, his words did give me the final kicking that I desperately needed.  In my lifelong weight loss journey, I realized that I have developed a bad habit. I become relaxed in my weight loss when I see that I have lost 5-10 pounds and basically give up.  I think my mind plays tricks on me and thinks, "wooohooo, I lost 5 pounds, I have arrived!", rather than take that weight loss, celebrate a little and just keep going.  Even after those atrocious number magically appeared on my scale, I wasn't being as serious as I know I should have been so I would like to think that the universe sent this drunk old man to give me a good talking to.  I am throwing bad habits to the wind and bad habits will be no more... I am going to get serious and my sacred numbers will speak for themselves...hopefully. 

How do YOU maintain that sweet balance between healthy eating and not completely denying yourself? 

Hugs&Love,
Bella

The Wonderful, Gross World of Running.

Chica here! It's Saturday evening and I've been wanting to post to the blog for a couple of days now. I've just been too lazy. I've been reading a lot of running blogs lately, especially one called www.half-fast.org. The blogger, who goes by the monicker "Vanilla," has me hooked. I liked a few of his posts so I decided to go all the way back to the beginning of his blog, in 2007! I'm now reading through 2008's posts and loving it. (Don't tell me what happens. I feel like I'm being sneaky by starting at the beginning.) He's real, honest about his struggles, vain (which is hilarious because I can totally relate), makes fun of people and himself, and posts inappropriate, funny shiz almost every day (I especially enjoyed his post about how he peed on his shoes). My kind of blogger!

From what I've read on some of these blogs, and from reading articles in Runner's World Magazine and other material, I am gathering that being a runner is not so glamorous! There are chaffing issues, needing to go pee...or....that other thing...during a run, aches, pains, and a lot of having to overcome our own mental and physical weaknesses. I haven't experienced most of the wonderful and gross things that I've been reading about, but I'm pretty sure that within the next five months I will probably encounter a few.

I have MOST CERTAINLY encountered the mental aspect of running. It seems to be my constant companion. That's why I'm SO thankful I have Bella running alongside me. If she weren't there, it'd just be me and the frantic conversation going on in my head. Once a conversation ends between Bella and I (which RARELY happens, because we are the queens of the rabbit trail), I just try to come up with something else to talk about, and sometimes it's boring stuff, like what I cooked for dinner the night before. But it's okay, because as soon as I start a boring conversation, we spice it up with our rabbit trails! 

Friday was Bella's and my longest run so far. Instead of sticking to the 28 minutes we were scheduled to do, we decided to go for distance instead. We ran 2.5 miles! I'm not going to preface every post about our runs with a lame, "I know it's not that far or that fast, but we're just starting out," because.....come on.....we're just starting out! I'm damn proud of us. I think we are being smart about starting slow and steady. I know that I've started MANY workout programs hard and fast and burned out halfway through. And that's why I know we're going to see this thing all the way through. 

One last tidbit. Bella is now registered for our race in May! So, it's officially official! Yes, it can be just official and not be as official as officially official. You didn't know that? Well, you learn something new every day, right? Below is the text message convo we had when she registered. I know, we're gross. But I think that means we're real runners!

(Yes, I got permission from Bella before posting this. She's not ashamed of her enthusiasm and neither am I!)

And here's the picture of Friday's run summary. Pretty cool how we got faster with each split. Yay us!

 
~ Chica ~

Hola! This is Chica! Finally posting to this fabulous blog that Bella started! Man....I'm going to be honest with y'all. Bella is the writer in this duo. I just went over all her previous posts and chuckled out loud more than a few times. My dog, Rosie (otherwise known as...wait for it....The Toes), keeps giving me the "I'm trying to take a nap here" face. Sorry, Toe Toes...

But since this blog is named Chica & Bella, it stands to reason that both of us will contribute. But I've warned y'all. Bella's posts are going to be much more entertaining!

A little about me (besides what Bella has mentioned): I'm a full-time virtual student, taking at least 18 hours a semester (including at least 9 hours every Summer semester), a wife to an amazing man who will from here on out be referred to as Lover, a mommy to the most precious miniature schnauzer on Earth (her under-bite is her best feature), I'm a photographer, love love LOVE to read (only fiction!), and I dabble in painting sometimes as well. Oh yeah! And I'm now a RUNNER!!! Some might say I'm more of a jogger. To them I say, "hush!" I'm doing the damn thing!

Last week, Bella and I had to run separately because she was going to be out of town, so I actually got up at our usually time and made it to the track by 6a.m. Shocking, in and of itself. I had arranged my "workout" playlist and even added some new songs and I was ready! Until I realized I'd forgotten my headphones....I freaked out a little because I've NEVER worked out without music blasting in my ears. It gives me something to concentrate on. My pace even changes with each new song because I get so wrapped up in the music. But I started running anyways. After 3 1/2 laps and 10 minutes of running in silence, around and around that track, it hit me that I was not going to finish my 25 minute run. I started to panic inside, my body seemed to have a life of its own, my mind made itself up! As soon as my foot touched the starting point, completing my fourth lap, it was over. Or as I've learned to say in Spanish, "Se Acabo!" Trust me, it's way more fun to say that in Spanish. It rolls off the tongue that sounds more like "Sacabo!" Needless to say, I felt really down and discouraged. I tried to figure out why I had such a horrible run. Was it because I didn't have music? Yes. Was it because I didn't have Bella? Yes. Was it because I basically ate a whole turkey by myself over the Christmas holiday? Yes. But then Bella and I met for a Sunday morning run and it felt fantastic! So I chalk up my sucky run to not having my running buddy! She's a NECESSITY to my success!! I couldn't be doing this without her. 

Bella will say things like, "I could've kept going!" or "I finally got to the place where it felt good." or "This is becoming an addiction!" And I'm SUPER happy for her because I know that she's gone out there during times that she's felt awful, been dealing with sickness, didn't sleep at all the night before, just doing it despite how she feels. I haven't dealt with as many obstacles as her, as far as health goes. But I STILL do not feel like I've found my stride. I still feel like I'm struggling with every single run. I'm telling you, if I didn't know Bella was meeting me at 6a.m., three times a week, I'd still be in bed. Having a running partner has been the best motivator I've ever encountered. I know she struggles too. We both are just so proud of ourselves for doing this because we've both been certified couch potatoes in our pasts. Today we finished our second day of running 28 minutes and, though our pace was slower than yesterday, we still feel that huge sense of accomplishment. We're two non-runners who are RUNNING!! And if WE can do it, ANYBODY can!!!

Here's a picture I took a couple of weeks ago of the sunrise after our run. It is nice seeing the sunrise at least three times a week.

 And I found this photo online yesterday as I was looking for inspiration. I'm a photographer, and always like to give credit where credit is due, but unfortunately I don't know who the photographer is, so I can't. But I love the message that's inserted into the photo. That's why I say "hush!" to the nay-sayers. 

It's nice to meet all of you! I look forward to this journey with Bella and all of y'all!
~ Chica ~

Dove Wisdom...

Happy New Year, y'all!!!

We started out 2013 with a great run and started Week 8 off with a bang!

Time: 28:02 minutes

Distance: 2.28 miles

Avg. Pace: 12:18 min/mi (best ever...)

Burned: 224 calories

Yesterday, at the request of the hubs, I made home-made brownies. Yes, I know, someone who is trying to lose weight and get in shape shouldn't make/buy/borrow/steal  brownies.  Before you become Judgy McJudgy Pants, I have a couple of things to say: First, saying that I will never, ever, have a brownie or sugar filled heavenly goodness again, has never, ever, worked for me. Secondly, everybody knows, moderation is key. Thirdly, I only had a couple of small pieces, which I am sure I burned this morning (reference stats above) and lastly, I guess I don't really care if you judge, cuz confessing about these particular home-made brownies is all about making a very specific point.  

So here it goes...  Like I was saying, yesterday the hubs requested some New Year's Eve brownies and I decided to jazz them up and put some Dove chocolate shavings on top.  They turned out wonderfully, by the way, in case you were wondering.  As I am opening those little tin foil squares of pure joy I remember that there is much to learn from what I will call "Dove Wisdom"... (Don't you think that a Dove quote can be a total game changer, I mean, literally change your life?  No?! I, guess, it might just be me, then.) 

As I am opening the first Dove square this is the first quote that I see: 

I remembered too late that Dove offers those little nuggets of wisdom and was very careless with the wrapper and ripped it, rendering it not instagramable (another made up word.)  I was sad, and thought to myself, "man, how great would it be if the next little square would have the same quote??" It's like the cosmos were trying to shout something to me, because the next square that I opened had the very same quote.  I thought about it. I mean, really gave the quote some serious thought.  Those simple seven words, made me mentally stop and just think.  My mind went straight to this running journey I am on.  I am learning to clear my mind and simply enjoy the moment.  Its a thought that can be applied to my whole life but specifically as it concerns to running, I am seeing that when I clear my mind and focus on the run, not how long I have to go or how sore I am, simply that I am running, that I in fact can run, I find that I truly enjoy my run. This is what helps me "make it."  It is what helps me enjoy, correction, its what helps me love my runs.  I love how strong I feel, how long I can withstand and how each step feels as it hits the pavement.  When I enjoy my runs the small victories seem greater and I can appreciate each improvement, small as it may seem to others. 

Speaking of improvements, today we had our best pace, ever!  The incredible thing is that my tummy hurt (probably due to those divine brownies I had last night) and Chica started out the morning a little funky but we still KICKED ASS! Neither of us "felt like it", neither of us were necessarily in the "mood", but we went for it and the results was nothing short of amazing!  I am so proud of us and couldn't have asked for a better way to start the new year. 

I leave you and end today's post with another wonderful "Dove Wisdom" quote, telling YOU and me:

Love&Hugs,

Bella