Alright, let's first address the elephant in the room that is week 9 of training.
What do you see a lot of? Crossing out. Well, that's always a bad sign. If you read last week's entry, you should know, going into this one, we'd talk some sadness. So I've been dealing with some knee pain. As runners, even with the slightest bought of pain we have two feelings: 'oh my god my career is over' and 'it's just a little pain, I'll be fine'. 2018 brought me two injuries and since then, any type of discomfort makes me think the worst. I've had tendonitis for quite a few years. However, it hasn't flared up in forever. I guess God decided to strike me down and said, "HAHA SLOW DOWN". After my long run last Saturday (12 miles), I decided enough was enough and waved my white flag of surrender. Not to the end of the training, but to take a week off of pounding the pavement. So yes, as we look at my training log for this week, it's very....abstract. I mimicked a speed workout on the bike on Monday which made my ass hurt for the next two days, prompting me to move to the elliptical on Wednesday. My knee did not like that. I basically felt like a failure all week. I did, however, find a whole new love of yoga. It literally saved me from losing my mind. I know normal day-to-day people think "oh a week is nothing" but let me tell you, as a runner, a week feels like a lifetime. But, I remained patient with myself and my body. Though I felt like my fitness level was a -1000, I knew it was best. I did some rehab, mobility, and flexibility work. I practiced yoga every day. Instead of challenging myself out on a run, I challenged myself to new poses I haven't done yet. My knee is cooperating and we will test the waters next week with some base building. I'll give you a hint: it's Monday and things are going well so far.
Speaking of yoga, I've decided to take a 30-day journey and practice every day through the month of September. When I practice at home, I'm always hanging with my homegirl, Adriene. If you've never heard of her and are interested in doing yoga, even if you've never attempted it, she is the bomb! It's all free, too. I'll link her channel here. I am not affiliated with her by any means, just love spreading the joy of yoga. Namaste!
Okay, onto what I titled this entry after...
The real Brittany 
I headed to the theatre this past weekend to catch a showing of 'Brittany Runs A Marathon', a movie based on a true story. I had to see this movie for three reasons: it has my name in the title, it's about running, and Jillian Bell is hilarious. This movie honestly hit home more than I thought it would. I'll try and explain some things without going into too much detail. Brittany is your typical 20-something year old. Loves to party, stay out late, and eat crap food. She knows a lot of people but still feels super secluded. She does a lot of dumb things to make up for her feeling like she has no direction in life. It's crazy to think that was me. I used to frequent the bar scene 5-6 nights a week. I used to know a lot of people but didn't have any real, true friends. I also did a lot of dumb things that we won't go into detail about. She goes through a weight loss journey and becomes obsessed with her weight. I also went through this. I remember when I used to weigh myself twice a day every single day and be pissed off if I didn't weigh less than the previous day. I have thrown away my scale since then. A lot of people will say, "but that's part of growing up and finding yourself!". But is it? Anywho, fast forward through her becoming friends with her neighbor, who is already a runner, a house-sitting job where she'll meet her next love interest, and a whole lot of marathon training, I found myself in tears at the end. "Can't go out tonight, I have to run in the morning". I mean raise your hand if you've said that *raises hand*. I encountered those people (and still do) that will never understand why we do this. Marathon training is a full-time job that you don't get paid for (unless you're a super pro). There were so many feels at the end from the start line to getting to the point where you think you're going to die. In the end, I'd go back and see this movie 10 more times.
That's all I have for this week. I know, where's the food part? I'm trying two new recipes this week and if they turn out looking like Martha Stewart was there, I'll share next time. Cheers!
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