Let the Games Begin

I am now onto week 2 of my running journey and I will say it is going....well, it is going.
Last week was my week of running 2 min/walking 2 min and this went rather smoothly. I didn't find it easy keeping this up for 30-40 minutes, but it was definitely do-able.
This week the time increased to running 3 min/walking 3 min and while it seems this shouldn't be much more of a challenge than last week..it sure was.
Tonight was my first night attempting this new interval challenge and I found myself fine for about the first 20-25 minutes..and then I just died (figuratively...well, almost literally as well)! My legs felt like jello and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not make my last 3&3 interval. ERRG!

Remembering back to the wonderful days of running with a partner/friend, I remembered how she would tell me to put mind over matter and to just convince myself mentally that I could do keep going. HA.
While this mind over matter stuff might work for her, it sure doesn't and didn't work for me!
No matter how hard or how many times this mind of mine worked to tell my little legs just to keep running..my body just laughed and refused!

Let me just run through (pun intended) a few "mind games" I played with myself during this joyous (<--- mind game) run.

a) trying to consume my thoughts with the beautiful scenery around me rather than the immense struggle my body was attempting to overcome

b) telling myself "we just have to make it to that tree" and then once that tree was reached "we just have to make it to that tree" etc, etc...
*this particular mind game was one of my running partner's favorites! she was convinced that it worked. well, my mind, rather my body, is much to smart for this silly little trick (mind you, i just graduated from nursing school. ha.). and once i had set my first landmark, my legs would simply not be fooled in making it to the next.*

c) observing the other runner's around me--particularly the silly looking ones (you know, the boys wearing short girl shorts or the girls walking their dogs, or rather their dogs walking them)--any how, and trying to convince myself that "if they can do it, I can do it"

d) turning my ipod up as loud as it goes, so as to drown out my horrible thoughts and body aches

e) timing my intervals so that I am always running down hill and walking up hill (personal favorite)

and the list continues...

While I continue on my running journey, I am wondering if any of my readers have words of wisdom and inspiration for the 8 weeks ahead.
Regardless, I will continue to fool myself into believing that I actually enjoy this-- in hopes that someday I WILL!

For now I will leave you with a visual image of what you would see if we happened to cross paths during one of my FANTASTIC runs.

Now I'm no Simpson's fan..but his posture and facial expression say it all!