If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again.
Then quit.
There's no use being a damn fool about it.
~~ W. C. Fields.
I went out this morning with the intention of doing some intervals over the same route I took yesterday. I decided to use my long-time favorite tracking app -- MapMyWalk -- since I made some adjustments on my iPhone (per their advice) to accommodate some changes they had made.
I was delighted to see a full-on green light from the GPS, but for some reason my music would not load. Well, fine. I thought I'd see how things went without it so I could add some informed thoughts to the music/no music debate.
About a half mile or so in I really wasn't feeling great. I wasn't sick, I wasn't hurting, I just couldn't get "invested" in my original agenda. Fine - I'm all about going with the flow -- let's press on.
Having decided to ditch my plan I opted to vary the route a bit, too, just for funsies. At 1.5 miles in, I really, really began to realize that my legs were feeling unreliable, and that I was having trouble with my mind wandering. This is not a good combination. At all.
I took the next half mile or so more slowly, just to see if I couldn't get my mind and body to get over their feud and play together nicely, but it just wasn't happening.
You might be expecting me to say, then, that I quit, but I didn't. I chose to stop.
There is a huge difference, and if you've ever spent more than an hour with me, you will know how deeply I believe words matter, how much I believe the ones we use either empower us or dishearten us.
Was it the cumulative effect of several days of crazy-high humidity? Not having my music? I think it might have been a combination of both, and probably a million other little things I won't even think about. Whatever is was, I put some time and effort out there this morning, and that counts.
It's okay to stop, but don't you ever quit.
Today's walk:
Distance: 2.63 miles
Time: 38:16
Pace: 14:33 per mile
Yesterday's walk:
Distance: 4.94 miles
Time: 1:13:06
Pace: 14:48 per mile
