Paper Chain Dreamz

I want to be healthy. I want to be healthy so bad it makes me cry some nights. The big problem is, I lack the motivation. I miss how it feels to run but that still doesn't change the fact that I don't do it. As I was trying to come up with a plan of action to motivate myself, I thought of what helped when I was a child.

 Paper chains. 

I mean, think about it. Is Christmas coming? Who knows, let's make a paper chain and find out! Are you having a birthday soon? Well, I think so, but I would know for sure if I had a paper chain to tear apart every day. Is it the last day of school? Ugh, no, still five links on that damn thing!

So I took that idea and I elaborated on it. I grabbed a ton of colored paper (because yes, as a 28 year old woman, I do still keep a large stock of colored craft paper at my desk) and I cut it into random sized pieces. 

I didn't count how many pieces of paper I had, or how many little strips I was cutting. I just cut, because I was leaving my goals up to fate.

For 2014, I decided I would run as many miles (more if I can!) as the number of links I'd made, but first, I would have to do something with the pieces of paper. So I wrote on them.

I wrote inspirational quotes. "A healthy outside starts from the inside."

I wrote goals to keep on top of the running. "Do a 30 day squat challenge."

I wrote what I like to call the "Oh No's!" which means once I run and I pull the link off there is a possibility that I still have more to do with my workout. "100 crunches."

And of course, I rewarded myself. "You've won a small DQ Blizzard!" (I'm really looking forward to the rewards)

Each time that I run a mile, I pull a chain off. Whatever is written on the paper, I will have to do or reflect on. I didn't organize them in any way, so if I run 4 miles one night, I may have to do 4 "oh no's" that night, too. (I maybe should have thought that part through a wee bit more.)

I have to say. I'm pretty thrilled for this. I mean, what grown up doesn't want to have a paper chain reminiscent of their six year old self just chillin' around the house? The lame ones, that's who. 

So I wrote. And I stapled. And I built a glorious chain.

You know what the end results looks like? It looks like 493 miles and I'm ready for it.

Welcome to my 2014, where I will run at least 493 miles, do more crunches than I've done the rest of my life and hopefully eat a blizzard or five.

"Begin, the rest is easy."