A Runner’s Hair Story!!! Why I Did It…

4:30 alarm goes off… I’m up and at ’em… Run whatever mileage is on the schedule for the day… Head to work… Shower at the gym… Look in the mirror… Silently screams! Ugh, my hair is sooooo ugly!  I can’t do anything with it…. It’s wet from running… Blow dry… Flat iron… And it still looks crazy…. I’m over it!  I’m sure my fellow runners or anyone else who engages in physical activity daily will understand this post.  Running and managing my hair was nearly impossible! Okay, impossible is an overstatement but it was difficult and time consuming.  Braids were convenient but I couldn’t keep my hair braided forever ever…LOL! So, I did the BIG CHOP! Yes, Friday, October 10th, my stylist cut all of the relaxer off – well most of it.  Needless to say, I had very little hair and if I say I wasn’t skeptical I would be lying.  I looked in the mirror and I wasn’t really sold on the look.  My thoughts, “Lord, why did I cut all my hair off?”

What I’ve learned since the BC…

1.  I’m gorgeous with or without hair. Not to sound conceited but I got a lot of negative comments about cutting my hair.

2.  People are ignorant and would say stuff like… Why you cut your hair? You look so cute with the short hairstyle.  Clearly, they were not speaking of my new growth only look. LOL! Or people would say why you cut all your hair off?  You seem too sassy to be natural.  WTF?

3.  All in all, I realized my hair doesn’t make me pretty.  My personality and confidence does.

4.  I know very little about natural hair care but ask me something about relaxed hair and I can write a dissertation.  SMH!

5.  I’ve learned I am definitely my mother’s child.  We look too much alike now.

6.  Having confidence means you can rock any look you want.

7.  My running story is more important than my hair story.  Looking good is from the inside out… I would rather feel good as it leads to looking good! 🙂

8.  I enjoy the look more than I thought and I’m totally amazed at how tight my hair coils… I LOVE IT!

9.  This journey shall be interesting and I’m looking forward to it!

10.  My health is more important than society’s perception of what I should look like.

I AM HER Challenge…

Let’s kick October off with new goals and something more challenging.  We all know that cardio is essential for healthy living.  Do you get enough cardio?  Do you need to switch things up and challenge yourself? Great! Perfect! We all do.  Visualizing a goal is easy.  Writing it down makes it real.  Sticking with it can be challenging.  Completing it gives a feeling of accomplishment.  Are you ready to run your first organized race? NO! Well, you have plenty of time to get ready!

Cardio Challenge! Already a runner, jogger, or walker? Great, I challenge you to push your limits (safely of course).  Not a runner, jogger, or walker? Great, let me introduce you to the other side.  LOL! The side that creates total happiness, confidence, and leaves you looking FABULOUS!  Here’s how this will work.  I will post weekly tips/advice.  Here is the information for the race.  Website: http://www.littlerockmarathon.com.  The dates are February 28th – March 1st.

I will plan an I AM HER meet-up for Friday, February 27th.  Stay tuned for me details.  If you are interested in personal tips/advice, please send me an inbox on FB or via gmail: xantucker@gmail.com.

For those who have not joined the I AM HER Facebook group, here is a brief description of the group. I AM HER… A group specifically designed for women who are striving to live a healthy lifestyle! HER is an acronym which can stand for Healthier Each Run, Race, Rep, or Regimen! This group is intended to provide the additional motivation and support that we need to stay on task with reaching our Health and Fitness goals. I plan to post monthly challenges and upload videos occasionally. We can tell our success stories and even swap healthy recipes. The overall goal is to create a community that serves as a support system. We all are striving for a healthier lifestyle! Invite your family and friends to join the group as well. Find an accountability partner and make it happen! I AM HER, You Are HER, We Are HER! All striving for a healthier lifestyle!

Running…My Sanity! Two days, two races!

This past weekend was totally AWESOME! Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE RUNNING! So, imagine my excitement as I prepped for two days of running.  Of course, I’ve run two days in a row before but running is totally different when you are running  a race.  The adrenaline and excitement do not compare to your regular running days.  The entire week before the race I was sick.  I don’t know what was wrong but I was not myself.  Race day I still felt a little sick to my stomach and I had a headache BUT it was race time.

I ran the Diva Half Marathon on Saturday.  It was adventurous.  The shuttle taking us the wrong way.  Portable potties <– they make me sad. Heat, hill, humidity, and headache! The course was not my favorite.  It was a tad bit warm but I survived with my slowest half marathon time yet.  It was just a hard race and I finished with a 2:25 time.  I enjoyed the goodies at the finish line though. 🙂 And I wore a freaking tutu! It was too cute! LOL! I enjoyed dressing up for the race! On Sunday, I ran the Black Girls Run! Sweat with your Sole 5K!  It was a much easier run than Saturday and I was faster.  Actually, I was faster than I expected but not my fastest time.  After the race, I stood at the finish line and it was a lot of emotional things happening. Happy emotional things though! 🙂

What I learned?

~Proper nutrition is very important.  My body was tired and not 100%.

~Running is very mental.  Positive thoughts make a BIG difference.

~I’m a medal junkie! I was thrilled that I received two medals in two days! 🙂

~I’m stronger than I give myself credit for… I can’t wait to have another weekend of double fun!

~A good support system makes the biggest difference.

~I need to train harder to get faster and stronger!