I've wrestled with whether I should share this or not.
On the one hand, for me it is Pinterest related, but lately I have read a lot of articles about a lot of mean people bullying others on the internet for posting things like this.
Occasionally Marquette and I have to delete a nasty gram from a reader, it comes with the territory of running a public blog and for the most part it doesn't bother me. I understand that it will happen and I just move on.
So for this post I ask that our existing rules of no negative or mean comments continue and that we keep things positive, and respectful. I guess since this is much more personal than just a regular craft post that I'm a little leery.
My worry is that others may see this as braggy. When we post Show-and-Tell Saturday posts they are to show what we are up to craft wise, what projects we're working on and to inspire others to create. The range of Pinterest is much wider than crafting though, it includes food (which we also include), home improvement, parenting, relationships, art, and health along with SO much more.
We have never really dove into the realm of health on the blog per say, I consider that a sort of different range of pins. I thought this might be helpful to others though after some feed back I have gotten from family and friends. I hope this is received the way it was intended, that is to help inspire others.
Here goes!
Last Sunday my husband Chip and I ran our first half-marathon! For those of you who aren't familiar with anything running (which I wasn't either about 3ish months ago) a half-marathon is 13.1 miles. We ran the Biggest Loser Half-Marathon in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Chip grew the 'stache just for the race, rockin' right?
Just after we finished! We both reached our personal goal times for the race :)
It was a awesome experience, and more than just the race itself it was an amazing physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual feat for us.
A little background for you, Chip's old email was ihaterunning@______.com . I did track in middle school, lost my baby chub and never did recreational running again. I hated it. We both hated it. Up until November the furthest I had EVER ran in my life was 3 miles at a time. That was a BIG accomplishment for me. A friend of mine was running the race and asked if I wanted to do it. I literally laughed at her.
Running was NOT my thing. In fact it kind of terrified me. I literally didn't think that I would be able to accomplish this goal. I was already shutting that door on myself.
BUT...Chip wanted to do it. He invited me to do it with him, we would train together and before I knew it, we were signed up, paid, and ready to go.
I had 9 weeks to train.
*Gulp.*
I started slow, four miles. Then five the next week, then six the week after. Eventually I was at 10 miles and didn't know who this person I was becoming! Where did she come from???
So what does this have to do with Pinterest?!
Pinterest can be an amazing motivational tool, or a devastating tool that can tear you down. This all depends on what you make of it. I see so many boards with half-naked chicks with sayings on them that say "Is that cookie really worth it??" and all I can think is, "Yes. Always yes, cookies are great.". For some people that kind of motivation works, but for me it just made me feel guilty and negative, not only about myself but about eating food, and that I didn't get to the gym that day. Why was I letting this inanimate object, Pinterest, be the medium to which I was filtering my self worth?! It's a website for heavens sake!
I chose to look at it differently. Not only was this accomplishment going to be physically difficult, but emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually as well. I needed to arm myself. Why was I doing this? Who was I doing this for? What would I like to get out of this experience?
I was doing this to grow. To stretch my limits, myself, and my accomplishments.
I was doing this for me.
I wanted to obtain growth and pride of myself and what I can do out of this experience. I wanted to choose this really hard thing, and dominate it. And I was going to use Pinterest as a tool of this task.
And last but not least, this one is my favorite. So often we ask, "What if I can't accomplish this task?!" I said this to myself more times than I can count. Whatever this task may be, I think at times WE are the naysayers of our goals. Next time you come upon an accomplishment that may seem out of your comfort zone, or out of your reach, ask yourself, "But what if I can?". This phrase turned it all around for me. I hope it does the same for you.
You CAN do anything.
I hope you all see that this isn't just about health pins, but about life in general. No matter what task we have at hand there is a way to accomplish it. Pinterest doesn't just have to be a tool to create Dream Boards, or Someday Boards, but it can be a tool to create Today Boards and Accomplishment Boards.
What if you can?
Thanks for sharing your story. I am impressed with your positive spirit and your accomplishment of your goal! I, too, hate running, so I can imagine how hard it was to commit. I especially like how you called out the use of "Fat Shaming" pins and focused on uplifting sayings and encouragement. Brava!
ReplyDeleteYou and your husband deserve a HUGE congratulations for this! That's a big-time goal, and you really should receive all the props in the world for achieving it.
ReplyDeleteI love the motivational-style pins on Pinterest because quite often, they contain grains of truth (or sometimes clumps of truth) that can get under your skin and rub you the right way.
It helps when I have a filter, of sorts, as I scroll Pinterest. There are some things that are amazing and I think "oh wow, that's incredible!" and move on. There are others that look really incredible and are something I would actually like to do myself, and those are the ones that I dive into. It's a matter of having discernment and priorities, just like anything else in life.
I'm delighted for you that you were able to use Pinterest to motivate you toward your goal. "What if I can?" is awesome, a question we should definitely ask ourselves right whenever the "What if I can't?" comes to attack.
I don't know if I've ever commented on Pintrosity before, but I love this blog, and after seeing how anxious you were about the possibility of receiving hate for posting this incredible achievement, I had to comment. I wanted to make sure you DID receive support. :)
Hats off to you!
Such an awesome achievement!! I ran my first 5k last summer, and only because it was a color run! I hate running! I keep getting invited to do longer runs and always decline, thinking I'd never be able to do it!
ReplyDeleteI love this. Congratulations! It makes me sad that you felt even for a second you couldn't share this with all of us. I don't think it's bragging to let people know you ran a half marathon (that is some kind of crazy accomplishment) and showed us how you used Pinterest to your advantage to help you with it. You guys look way happier after that race than I think I ever looked running ha! Thank you so much for sharing, and also sharing those particular pins - the "what if I can" one hits real home.
ReplyDelete"Pinterest doesn't just have to be a tool to create Dream Boards, or Someday Boards, but it can be a tool to create Today Boards and Accomplishment Boards."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great quote. I wish everyone would think this way. I can't imagine why anyone would post something negative about this. I think it's great! Unfortunately due to a hip injury I can't run anymore so I live vicariously through others. :) Congrats it's a huge accomplishment.
I feel bad when I see posts of the cookies, the skinny girls, etc. As a group fitness instructor I hate seeing these things that shame people. Do what you love, eat what you like (if it's bad, in moderation!) and just L.I.V.E. :)
I'm an academic. I have asthma and flat feet. I kind of feel that God didn't design me to run marathons. (Many of my asthmatic, flat-footed, academic friends do, though, and I am in awe of them.) Me? Me…God designed to try the things that make other people say "you WHAT?" Oysters, snowboarding, beef tongue, auditioning for Jeopardy!, that kinda thing. And you know what? I think it's an awesome balance that there are those of us who can commit to this one hard thing, and that there are those of us who can commit to doing hard things once…and then finding another hard thing to do. And every time one of my fellow flat-footed asthmatic academics runs a marathon, I have to give a cheer. (And then laugh a little at all of us.)
ReplyDeleteSo, all of that to say? Hurrah for finishing your marathon!
I think that this is the perfect place for this post. Not only did you use pinterest to motivate you, but you also showed us how trying to follow certain pins could lead to a much more devastating pinstrosity, that of personal negativity and fear of failure. That is what I love about this blog. It balances the perfect images of pinterest with the idea that no one is perfect, and we can still laugh at ourselves and have fun even in our failures. That being said, awesome job with the half marathon! Your last quote reminded me of what my grandmother used to say, "Can't never could." But I think your way is a much more positive spin on it.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same sneakers!!! :D :D :D
ReplyDeleteI don't run because my knees are far too shot (need them both replaced). But I use those as my work shoes. And I am ridiculously excited that someone has the same shoes as me. Silly? Probably. But oh well! :D :D :D
Very nice achievement! I still only run about three miles at a stretch and I'm okay with it. :)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?! I live in El Paso, TX, and its about a 30 minute drive to Las Cruces, I would have participated in the race, and been there to cheer you on! Congrats on going for it, and I hope it gives you motivation to continue doing more races and others half-marathons (perhaps a 26.2 in your future?!). Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your hard work. I hate running, heart and soul… I'll take that cookie instead :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I hate running myself but with a shoulder injury I'm beginning to think it may be my way back to health! You two are adorable! Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thank you for sharing and you deserve to be PROUD of your accomplishment!!
ReplyDeleteAs a runner myself, I LOVE this. Congrats to you and your hubby, this is an amazing accomplishment! Especially considering you only ran up to 3 before, but even so this is great. Tell the haters to go take a jog :)
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you both! I can't run, bad knees, but I do awesome jewelry. I used to swim a mile a day til my arms fave out. Oh well. I do what I can. I am in awe of people who can do those physical things. But I'll gladly clap on the sidelines!
ReplyDelete