A reality check from my new coach!

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When we filmed the finale show for Transformation Nation:  Million Dollar You I was elated to find out that I would get the assistance of a coach from Team Challenge (part of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation).  However, I'll admit that I was also slightly terrified.  Up until now my training has been on my terms and while I try to stick to a training plan I know that if I want/need to take a rest day I can because the only person I'm really affecting is me.  Having a coach is someone else to be accountable to.  In all honesty it also made me worry that it would be someone who would judge me and how hard I was training.  Anyway... I confessed my anxiety to Coach Barbara who quickly responded (we've been corresponding via email) that she has no doubts I will be able to do this because I'd already done something major by losing 180+ pounds.  

While I was out for a training run this morning I couldn't stop thinking about what she said.  Why wouldn't I be able to do this?  Why did I think that training to run a half marathon would be any different than deciding to lose weight to live healthy?  And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  When I set out to lose weight I never focused on the big goal - I never thought to myself that I needed to lose 200+ pounds.  I always focused (thanks to my fabulous Weight Watchers Leader, Karen) on the small goals.  I'd set a goal to lose 10 pounds and then I'd go do it and I wouldn't feel completely overwhelmed by it.  When thinking about running a half marathon I kept focusing on 13.1 miles.  This, in my twisty brain, is a lot of miles considering I haven't even run a complete 5K yet.  However, it made me realize that I was doing this all wrong and that I shouldn't be focused on the total mileage but rather smaller achievable goals.

It's important to keep the big picture in mind but not so much that it overwhelms and stops us from achieving a goal.  So that's what I'm going to do!  I'm going to break my training into smaller pieces to focus on rather than to continue stressing out about having to run 13.1 miles.  Ironically, during my training run this morning while thinking about all of this I ran farther than I was supposed to and ended up walking PAST my house for my cool down!