The Ideal Me vs The Real Me

My husband and I are working our way though the book “Changes That Heal” by Dr Henry Cloud. He talks about how we all have conflict between our “Ideal” self and our “Real” self. Understanding that if the Ideal self is left in control it will prevent the Real self from functioning properly so it’s important to have a healthy balance between the two.

As I was walking into school last week I was reflecting on this idea with regard to the Marathon training. We have now completed week two of the training which I am proud to say I have accomplished. The first part of this 26 week process is to prepare us to run/walk a 5K in eight weeks of which we have six weeks left. During week one I had a tough time running for two minutes. I thought it would have gotten easier in week two which it did in some ways so I feel like I’m making good progress but it’s not as good as I had hoped. My Ideal self was arguing with my Real self about my progress so I was feeling a little discouraged because I didn’t feel like I was measuring up. Something I often refer to as feeling “Less Than <” from my days in college math class. Later my instructor would tell the class our next paper is going to be on the topic of “Ideal vs Reality” so I knew I had to write about it here.

I made a list of things to consider which actually helped me to put it into perspective so I’m going to share my list here because I have a feeling you may relate to my list or some items on it anyway. It will help to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

           The Ideal Me  vs  The Real Me

• Up Daily at 5:00 AM                 vs   Up Daily at 7:00 AM
• In Bed by 10:00 PM                   vs   In Bed by 11:30 PM
• Exercises Daily at 6:00 AM     vs   Exercises Daily at 9:00 AM
• Weighs in at 135 lbs                  vs   Weighs in at (Frown Face Here)
• Has ample supply of Money   vs   Has no Money

Can you relate to my list? I had to ask myself; Does it really matter? I think it’s important to get up at 5:00 AM because my husband does but does it really matter? I admire people who get to the gym at 6:00 AM but if I go in at 9:00 AM does it really matter? Yes, I struggle with my weight but I am completely healthy in every other way so does it really matter? I’m run/walking a Marathon that I will probably be the last to finish. Does it really matter?

In Texas Holdem there’s a term called “ALL IN” when you put all your chips into the pot betting on winning that hand or be out of the game. I am “ALL IN” to this Marathon no matter how long it takes me to finish so does it really matter how long it takes me?

What’s on your list? Does it really matter?

“Get Up Off The Couch – 411”

Get Up Off The Couch

That’s what I heard one morning in March of 2016 as I sat on my couch drinking my coffee and spending time with the Lord. Well okay, what does that mean? In December of 2015 I had decided that I would start training for a 5K again which I hadn’t done in about two years. That’s a 3.1 mile race you can run or walk in an hour. I love doing 5K’s for good causes because it makes me feel good about myself and helping to raise money for things like Alzheimer’s or Pancreatic Cancer Research. Running is something I fell in love with in my early 20’s but got away from it after having kids, aging knees, gaining weight and getting older. As of today I’m still not able to run a full 3.1 miles. I walk / run every time which is okay with me. In fact my best ever time was 49:49. The longest I’ve ever run is 22 blocks which is about half of the 5K or 1.5 miles which for me was a great accomplishment.

In January 2016 I started taking the last class to complete an Associate Degree I started 40 years ago. It’s a tough thing to go back to college at 60 years of age let me tell you. I’m taking History of Western Civilization which I’ve always wanted to take because I’m interested in History. While studying the Greek’s I learned about how the Marathon which is a 26.2 mile race came to be. It’s actually a tribute to a Greek Hoplite or infantry soldier who ran from the coast of Marathon to Sparta and back three times saving his fellow countrymen from the invasion of Darius of Persia then collapsed and died. I was really impressed that this Marathon race that I thought was so ridiculous no one should ever consider doing one I now understand is a living memorial to the memory of what that soldier did to this day. How cool is that?

This leads us up to April when I watched an episode of a television show called Extreme Weight Loss. I don’t usually watch these kind of shows because I think they are made to look better than reality and give people false hope. There was a young woman who was 24 years old and extremely over weight is told by her trainer that she is going to run an International Marathon somewhere in New York. This was after she had lost half of her weight goal but only three months to train in preparing for the Marathon which is not enough time. At the time she ran the Marathon she weighed in at 198 pounds which is heavy to run at all let alone a Marathon. Do you know how far 26.2 miles is? Wow!

A day or two later my youngest Grandson was born on Sunday April 3rd, 2016. I stayed home from church that day to sleep after having been up all night at the hospital.  As I put on my pajamas and climbed into bed that morning I started to think about this show. How if she could do a Marathon then maybe I could since she actually weighed more than I do. My husband, Don, went to church without me and when he came home he was beaming from ear to ear. You’ll never guess what I did. I signed up to run a Marathon! You did WHAT? As he told me about it I began to remember this episode and my thoughts about being able to do it. Within 5 min I said then sign me up! If you’re doing it I’m doing it, too! And that is how I joined Team World Vision to run the Chicago Marathon on October 9th, 2016.

This brings us to today. I have been wanting to write a blog for many years now. It’s been on my bucket list since at least 2008 yet I could never decide what to write about. I have decided to write about my journey from the Couch to the Chicago Marathon and the lessons I learn along the way. I hope to inspire others to get up off the couch, take a step in a new direction toward better health and hopefully have some fun along the way. This is no accident. It is a divine appointment for both of us. I hope it inspires you the way it inspired me. If I can do it, anyone can do it! I am going to need all the cheerleaders I can get so let me know what you think. If you really like what you read share it with your friends so they can “Get Up Off The Couch“, too.

 

Here’s the episode I watched if you want to watch it, too.

Extreme Weight Loss – Meredith – Season 3 Episode 2