Can’t Never Could
Intention and Determination.
Included this week:
A recap on 2024 trail racing.
Yoga flow post race.
Year end review.
Seasonal post on 8th Limb of Yoga.
The phrase “can’t never could” was used frequently in my childhood. It came from my grandmother and passed down. So simple yet profound. It has struck with me all my life. It’s easy to say that I can’t do something and not even try. The phrase “can’t never could” makes me stop and contemplate what is possible. When it comes to athletics, I love challenges but I also understand my ability. In the trail races, I don’t have the ability to win but I do have the ability to participate and enjoy them. This reminds me of an interview featuring race director, Gary Cantrell (Laz), who quoted his coach saying, “every athlete doesn’t have the same ability but every athlete has value.”
I began the year with a strength and nutrition coach. The accountability was tedious but there was no hiding the truth of what I ate or how much I put into the workouts. I had a huge learning curve in tracking my food and drinks. If my tracking was off then it would show in my performance, measurements and other stats. This program was the real deal if I wanted to improve my performance, then sticking to the plan was essential. I quickly realized that being truthful in the tracking was only to my benefit. I had a coach who could help me stay on track with weekly updates. At 58 years old, I proved that I could still change my body composition with proper nutrition and exercise.
Courage to keep trying.
Courage to submit your work for review.
Courage to toe the start line.
Courage to work on goals and dreams.
Deflated feelings from rejection
Or coming across the finish line last
Or criticism on your best work.
Keep the spark alive.
Build on your strengths.
Work on your weaknesses.
Keep moving forward.
Keep working on your craft.
Keep creating.
It was thrilling to add muscle and improve my running performance. I was coming off a few years of slow digression in my running and not being able to finish races. I discovered that my calories intake was too low for my activity level. Also, tracking macros the majority of my calories were off and needed to be adjusted to take in more protein for muscle building and stamina in running. This gave me hope for getting better, faster and improving my overall well being. Another bonus to this was my posture improved and I was leaner. I noticed it in pictures and the annoying aches and pains disappeared. I am an athlete getting stronger. Proof to myself was completing the hardest 50k I have done so far. It was brutal but with intention and determination, I crossed the finish line.
Yoga flow post race
This Yin Yoga flow was extra nourishing after spending all day climbing and descending steep hills at Blood Rock.
Yin poses are held 3-5 minutes and you should have little discomfort and absolutely no pain or sharp sensations. (Paid subscribers see link below)
Cat Cow
Prone Half Frog (each side)
Thread the Needle
Deer Legs (each side)
Supported Bridge Pose
Banana Pose (each side)
Year end review:
Also this year, I took a course in Embodied Yoga Life Coaching. I went in with goals regarding my own personal growth and blocks that I had been dealing with in my business, writing and running. I cannot express how transformative this was for me. I recommend this to anyone feeling stuck in old behavior patterns who want to understand the depth of origin wounds and how they affect our lives. The course was intense and much of the training was very hard for me to do. It certainly took me out of my comfort zone but the rewards are immeasurable. I have a clear plan for my business and how I desire for it to fit into my life. Gaining awareness of the origin wound and how it plays into everyday life was the information I needed to move forward and claim my place in space (think Tree pose).
Seasonal post on 8th Limb of Yoga is found here.
I hope you had accomplishments and achieved goals as you look back on 2024.
The 8th limb of yoga is Samadhi and the final athletic phase of completing a goal is celebrating and basking in the afterglow.
Celebrate Big and Keep Moving Forward! 🏊🏻♀️🚴🏻♂️🏃🏻♀️🏋🏼♀️🧘🏻♂️
Paid Subscribers see the video link below for a 45 minute Yin session.