Fitness is a mental thing. Guess what. As I mentioned in a submission before, I qualified for city finals. Unfortunately, I was still injured at that point—my leg still hurt every time I ran and I have been having doubts about participating even the day right before the competition. I thought of the humiliation of coming in last, of falling into the mud, of the pain in my legs. I thought of all the other tall, skinny, lithe blondes running cross country and they’re beautiful, fast, and graceful. I wanted to cry because I already felt bad about myself for even tryin out for cross country because I’m very much the opposite: short. Chunky. Not lithe at all. Not an Ectomorph. On top of that, I was slightly injured. Today morning I said to myself, “Screw this.” I was as scared as hell but I sure wasn’t going to be a loser. I sure wasn’t going to be the one who didn’t bother to participate in. I sure wasn’t going to miss out on the first and perhaps, the last time I make into city finals. And so I ran. I have photos on my camera and the text ready to post on my blog, but I haven’t had the chance to go in the computer yet. I can tell you this: I am so proud of myself. This race was by far the hardest race if the entire cross country season, and also the hardest. Usually after a workout, I critique myself on my efforts; where I could’ve worked harder, and why I didn’t. I usually feel bad for not fm doing my best. This time was different. I can tell you now—I COULD NOT have sprinted the last 100 metres harder in my life. Not to say it was the fastest ive ever ran a 100 m because I was already tired, but I definitely have pushed myself to the maximum. I didn’t have anything left by the one I crossed the finish line. I felt like I had asthma. My lungs couldn’t absorb the oxygen—that’s how tired I was. I could barely stand. And I couldn’t have been more proud of myself. I placed 64th out of my entire division in my city and I improved my personal best time by completing the course in one minute less. I feel so good about myself I could die. And I little rally did feel like death during, and a few minutes after the race. My coach said he saw me sprint it my all in the end—through mud as the water soaked into my shoes. He saw me nearly lose my balance and fall(and if I did I swear I probably could not have any energy to pick myself up) on my face. And that’s high praise—he’s never said that to me before. I didn’t make it into provincials, but I just wanted to raise a glass to my accomplishment, and if you stick around tomorrow night, you can see pictures and more details about my experience on my blog(I post and share each workout/run) Now that cross country season is over, I’m ready to start eating low carb. I don’t dare do this during xc season because it will not help me improve as a runner. But because its over, Fat loss is now a priority for me. Are you excited to see me transform? I am too! I’ve taken a before picture already and I’m excited to start tomorrow. I hope I inspired you to PUSH PAST YOUR LIMITS. I knew that if I didn’t sprint my hardest I would regret it in the end. I won’t allow myself to regret anything—and so I sacrificed temporary pain. And believe me—it was worth it. I want you to feel pain. I need you to be tired; it means something is right. It means your body is capable of kicking it up a notch. IT MEANS THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. Kill yourself working outs I promise you will NOT REGRET IT! I PROMISE! —thefitty

~~Submitted be thefitty.tumblr.com