Support.

What good are we without the support of others around us?  I am truly blessed with a great support system, it is almost unreal.  My family and friends who have attended every ridiculous sporting event or race no matter how big or small.  My running friends who wake up at the crack of dawn or on a precious weekend morning to run with me.  My Crossfit coaches who are in my face in every moment of weakness and my Crossfit buddies, who make all the torture “fun”.

The best thing about my support system is their lack of sympathy. They are not afraid to tell me to suck it up, and I need that sometimes.  Okay..a lot of times.

The other morning I came back from a run and when Shain and I exchanged our usual “How was your workout” discussion over breakfast, I immediately said “terrible”.  It was yet another workout that felt like crap.  Yet another run that I felt like there were daggers in my legs.  I was hoping a fresh new pair of running shoes would get me out of my funk, but it has yet to pass.  I went from feeling invincible this summer to feeling down right terrible.   So after I said that to him, I waited for the sympathy that he had been giving me the last few weeks…I received quite the opposite.

He laid into me about my recent negativity.  He also said something to the effect of…“Jill, you have two legs. You are alive, stop acting like things are so awful right now.”  Did I like that?  Of course not.  Did I need that?  Yes.  I of course immediately pouted something to the effect of… “Aren’t I allowed to feel sorry for my self every once in a while?!!”

Then his smarty pants self responded with, “Absolutely! But it’s been weeks. Time to move on, k?”.  Even though I did not want to admit it, I knew he was right.  Man I hate when he is right.

This might sound harsh to some, but this is truly one of the things that I have always loved about Shain.  He is not afraid to tell me the truth.  He knows my deepest darkest fears/weaknesses and he knows how to motivate me (and push my buttons in the meantime of course).  He will be the last one to sit there and allow me to complain.  After every race he is quick to say how proud he is but also quick to push me to do better.    This goes for many other people in my life as well, I am a lucky girl.

Of course it is nice to get sympathy every once in a while.  It is okay to throw a little pity party.   But at the same time, it can also be a little too easy to feel sorry for ourselves and stay stuck in a rut…instead of gritting our teeth and taking the hits.  Sometimes, those hits are important.  Those hits are crucial lessons that we may not yet know the meaning of.  But we will.  Hindsight is always 20/20, you know.

Do you surround yourself with people that challenge you?  That push you out of your comfort zone? People who know better than to accept your excuses?  People who know your true potential and WANT you to live up to it?  Or do you surround yourself with people that will gladly listen to you whine for days and keep you comfortable?  Surrounding yourself with the right people is incredibly important in helping to get you where you want to be.

Instead of continuing to complain about running, I am taking the month off of  it entirely.  My intention of this month was to “let go” a little anyway, but of course still stay active.  I am going to change up my workout routine, maybe do some more spinning, yoga and work on getting my strength back.  No more negative thoughts here.  Go on back home to pity land, nobody wants you here.  Pity party is officially over.  If you catch me complaining you have full permission to slap me (Dave King, I know you would never miss that opportunity).

Stay blessed in the MESS! 🙂