26th March – 1st April 2018
This week I have struggled to complete this months challenge. It has meant that on some days I have had to double the amount of exercise just to catch up and complete my challenge.
I am at the moment doing an hours exercise at least every weekday and sometimes I extend it to the weekend too. I have never exercised so much in my life. This week though I have done about 2 hours almost everyday just so I can complete my challenge before the end of the month.
All this is for training for another half marathon I’m doing in June. Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through all this pain. If it wasn’t for the kids I am raising money for I think I would have quit long ago.
I have also really cut down on my food intake too. Upping the exercise and lowering my food intake has been one of the hardest things I have done so far.
You would think that this would mean that I would lose weight. I did lose a few pounds last week but nothing this week. I feel I am doing all this effort for no reward.
These challenges are something that I have set myself to do. No one is pressuring me to succeed. I am however pressuring myself to succeed and as the weeks go by that pressure gets stronger.
I saw a quote this week that says “a diamond is just a piece of charcoal that can handle pressure extremely well”
It got me googling how a diamond is formed. They come from deep under the ground, they start as carbon (like coal and charcoal) and they are a mineral of carbon in a concentrated form. They form because of the amount of pressure sitting on top compacting it tight.
After that deep sourced lava comes up through the earth pushing them to the surface heating them to incredible temperatures in the process.
Once the ground cools they just need to be dug up and shaped to the diamonds we all see today.
I have a few diamonds that are very special to me, not just because they look nice but because of what they represent and who bought them for me.
I have never once realised what it took to get that diamond on my finger or around my neck.
This whole process of how a diamond is formed is what makes it so strong and the reason why they can’t be broken.
This little lesson on diamonds has made me think that the pressure I am putting on myself is a good thing. Upping the heat on my training is making me stronger, hopefully it is shaping me into a much better person.
So I think I will continue on my current course and hopefully it will make me stronger
If you feel you could help support this cause go to:
https://challenges.compassionuk.org/profile/500/debbie-wattis