Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA

Even at my lowest moments over the last week, the one thing I never gave up on was my commitment to seeing the Whole 30 through. I know, a day or two or of not eating isn't really within the spirit of the Whole 30, but it's not like I caved to sugar and bread. So today marks day 17, and I'm still looking for that elusive "Tiger Blood" phase.

I have been doing a lot of reading to help get me back into a state of being, well, more like this when I wake up for the day:

And I actually found this article to be quite helpful: 4 Steps to Get Back on Track When Something Terrible Happens. I know what you are thinking, this 'absence of a half marathon goal' is hardly 'terrible' and I have an excellent flair for the dramatic, but hear me out - I think a lot of pent-up emotion was released at this triggering event and my brain read into this as 'trauma'. I'm the first to admit now that none of it is rational.

Anyway, 4 steps...

1. Get your feet on the ground - that is, don't indulge your impulse to hide in a corner and despair. This was particularly easy for me to do last week since my husband was traveling for work, and I now see what a few minutes of FaceTime with good friends can do for my spirits.
2. Pursue positivity - do anything that will trigger positive emotions. Meditation counts, as does exercise (see also: Exercise and Meditation Can Reduce Depression Symptoms), although I don't think running was going to be a very positive trigger for me last week. Last night, I went out to a local game night MeetUp group with my husband, despite the introvert in me wanting to just take a warm bath with a good book.
3. Confront your feelings - this step sounds a lot like what I was discussing yesterday about avoiding negative self-talk.
4. Get back out there - My natural reaction to my 'trauma' is to avoid running - because it reminds me of my failure. But... do I really see a future for myself without running?

No. The answer is no. So best to get back out there as soon as possible and continue trying to improve any way I can. Funny that Active.com sent me an article today entitled "How to Run a Sub-Two Hour Half Marathon." Gee, thanks Active, where were you six months ago?

Today's exercise: Rest. Tomorrow... "Getting back out there."