Reacting to Curve Balls

Life throws these often. The more curve balls we get, the better our reaction becomes. Although, I don't welcome these with open arms, they are good for me. Talking from my competitive side, they are a test of sorts. 

WY I RUN...  Using running to hit the curve balls, ground balls, etc... bring it on.

On a small scale, I dressed for the gym on Monday morning, it was shorts and an iPad since the dark, cold streets didn't sound as appealing. Arriving at our gym, the key to the exercise room was nowhere to be found. I stomped around for a few minutes, but as we all know, I was not going to skip a run... back home I went. I pulled on my long pants, a few more layers, gloves and a headband. The snow started falling, the ice more elusive than before, causing a few falls and this run could have stunk. It didn't though... I haven't been getting outside in the morning since I have been gone and in the mean time befriended the treadmill, but at the end I remembered why I liked the peaceful, dark mornings with no distraction. Maybe I like curve balls?!?

A week skipped, but am taking on life from here.
Workouts:
2/27:  8 Miles on Treadmill in Steamboat Springs, Elliptical and Core
2/28: 8 Miles Easy and 4 Mile p.m.
3/1: Swim and 9 Mile Interval: w/u, 8 x150, full recover, then 5 x 8 second, 3 min Walk, c/d- Feels so strange to be doing these types of workouts, but know they are targeting different systems and will make me stronger in the end.
3/2: Swim with some Intervals, set of 200 and 100 then p.m. Bike ride OUTSIDE. By accident I let my  competitive side get a little out of control where I should have harnessed the energy and caused a little too much soreness in the leggies.
3/3: 16 Miles Easy, first half was a slog from bike ride and was able to pick it up the 2nd half
3/4: 8 Miles and Dynamic core, 4 Mile p.m.
3/5: Swim and 8.5 Miles: 11 x 400 @ ~6:00 and Hammer #10. Got the lungs hurting the cold air.

Part of the title stems from the fact that last week was National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) week. With the prevalence of disordered eating, body image distortion, and perfectionism in our society, awareness is key . Adaptation and welcoming curve balls is a large part of recovery. Disorders on all spectrums can be used as a mechanism to cope with anxiety and as a method of control, someone suffering from disordered eating would much prefer routine and ability to control all aspects of life... that way we don't have to listen to the outside or our body cues; we get to determine what happens and when which translates into what we put into our body and when. Recovering from this mental state can take years and year perhaps there is no pinnacle, but using a Plan B or adapting to situations without getting thrown into a frenzy is a large part. This theory can be applied to the entire gamut of emotional stressors and is helpful on the journey to living a more balanced life.

Forks in the road have been popping up left and right lately and I can't help but think about the 'right' way to go. As the future for me becomes more and more vague and less and less controlled, I have to come to terms with a bit of perspective and the fact that there is no 'wrong' way, but a decision for another journey. Mixed emotions are running ramped, but as I continue on the less beaten path and cope with the curve balls, I grow and experience so much more.

What are we getting ourselves into?