Exercise Mantras

This morning, I woke up feeling so sore after yesterday’s Body Pump class. I don’t think there was a single muscle in my entire body that wasn’t sore. But, I’m training for a marathon, so I sucked it up and went out for a 4-mile run after breakfast.

For the past 6 weeks, I’ve pushed myself to get faster and stronger on each and every workout. Today, however, I gave my body a little break. It was tired, my muscles were sore, and my motivation wasn’t at its highest. I followed my Team In Training milage plan and took it easy.

I’m not going to lie, I struggled– both mentally and physically– to get through today’s run. I finished in 37:40 (9:25 pace), which isn’t a bad time at all, but it wasn’t a pretty run. I felt like crap at times, especially on the hills, but a few of my favorite exercise mantras from my blog buddies got me through it:

Saying these mantras over and over in my head really helped me keep moving today. I actually use them frequently during workouts– from Body Pump to hot yoga, not just running. It’s amazing what a little mental toughness can do for a workout. I swear, these mantras make all the difference sometimes.

When I returned from my run, I stretched, iced my hip, and showered. Then, it was time to bake. I’m tell ya, the baking urge strikes out of the blue for me! I also had a ripe banana and a quarter of a bag of chocolate chips on hand, which meant (a small batch of) Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. (I guess Kath’s post last night inspired me!)

I forgot how much I love these cookies.

For lunch, I paired three Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies with leftover White Bean, Tuna, and Potato Salad.

And two pieces of homemade garlic bread.

Seriously, someone needs to take the Garlic Gold away from me. I cannot get enough of it! I just finished eating, but I already want more of it.

FYI: These are my “practice” cookies for Cookie Friday tomorrow!

This meal was sooooo filling. I am stuffed.

Ahhhh! Our Team In Training fundraiser is tonight! I hope people come!!

P.S. For those of you who asked about Murphy’s vitamins, the bottle says: GlenHaven A2/N Nutrients. It’s actually a doggie skin supplement with Omega-3 and 6 Fatty Acids and antioxidants. Murphy does have nice skin. He must have read My Healthy Skin Routine post!