Living Up To The "Hell Yeah!" Blog Post

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It's always interesting which blog posts hit a nerve and make the rounds. To this day, the most popular post I've put up (at least according to the Squarespace stats) is this post about eating a Snickers during my 24-hour ultra. Who knew "Snickers" was such a popular search word? 

Lately, however, the "Saying 'Hell Yeah!' to Life" post has been making the rounds, especially after Kim Williams was kind enough to repost it on his wonderful blog, Wishful Preaching. 

Writing a blog post and living it are two different things, however. Fortunately, I have friends and family to hold me accountable. For example, my friend Christie and I e-mail our workout schedules each week to see where we might match up for a run or a Bodypump class together. This week, I e-mailed her my schedule and for Friday typed the note - "I can do an 8 a.m. spin class if you'll do it with me." 

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The Day I Ate A Snickers

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I was talking to best friend Trisha yesterday and she asked me what was the best part of the 24-hour Crooked Road Ultra challenge. 

I thought about it for a moment. There was the feeling of pride that comes with facing a fear and meeting a goal. The accomplishment of running over 50 miles. The friendships that were formed or strengthened. The confidence that running such a race gave me overall as I move forward in life. But really, there was one highlight that stood out for me. 

"I got to eat a Snickers," I said. 

Seriously, when was the last time you let yourself eat a candy bar? It has to be at least 10-15 years for me. Sure, I'll eat mini-snickers all day long at Halloween but there was something different about holding a full-sized candy bar in my hand. I just simply never allow myself to go there. 

My friend Marty (who's run several Ironmen) brought me the Snickers when he showed up to run with me. I just kind of looked at it and then it hit me. I was going to eat this thing. Every. Last. Bite. 

It took me 2 miles to do it, but oh my God, best Snickers EVER. I couldn't get over the blatant hedonism of eating the whole thing myself, with no whining to girlfriends about, "Oh, I shouldn't," and "Oh, I hate myself now." Nuh-uh. I licked the wrapper, baby. 

Self-confidence and knocking down walls and exceeding goals is all good, but never underestimate the power of chocolate. 

Cheers,

Dena