Learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph. Kristin Armstrong More Quotes by Kristin Armstrong More Quotes From Kristin Armstrong I find significance in all kinds of small details when I run; I'm hyper aware of my surroundings, the sensations in my body, and the thoughts running through my mind. Everything is clearer, heightened. I might be more addicted to this clarity than I am to running itself. Kristin Armstrong details mind running We either live with intention or exist by default. Kristin Armstrong default intention The time I spend in the morning - praying, sipping coffee, and coming up with my list - is a ritual I relish. I have done it for so long now that I subconsciously measure whether or not the things I'm doing match with what I should be doing, what I want to be doing, and the life I want to live. Kristin Armstrong coffee morning long In the midst of regular life, running is the touchstone that breathes adventure into my soul. Kristin Armstrong soul running adventure We postpone the finality of heartbreak by clinging to hope. Though this might be acceptable during early or transitional stages of grief, ultimately it is no way to live. We need both hands free to embrace life and accept love, and that's impossible if one hand has a death grip on the past. Kristin Armstrong grief hands past Running is always an exercise in humility. Kristin Armstrong humility exercise running When everything is moving and shifting, the only way to counteract chaos is stillness. When things feel extraordinary, strive for ordinary. When the surface is wavy, dive deeper for quieter waters. Kristin Armstrong ordinary water moving That's what our training is for, we practice not panicking, we practice breathing, we practice looking directly at the thing that scares us until we stop flinching, we practice overriding our Can't. Kristin Armstrong breathing training practice We can thank God for everything good, and all the rest we don't comprehend yet. Kristin Armstrong thank-god I think I run my strongest when I run with joy, with gratitude, with focus, with grace. Kristin Armstrong gratitude running thinking I think I run my strongest when I run with joy, with gratitude, with focus, with grace. With that strategy in place I can push myself for pleasure, not punishment. Maybe you can only really go when you let go. Kristin Armstrong gratitude letting-go running Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. Kristin Armstrong new-normal priorities opportunity Disappointment is a sticky one, because no one can steal contentment, joy, gratitude, or peace - we have to give it away. Kristin Armstrong gratitude disappointment giving Typically creative people are usually not clock-slaves or list-makers, so the idea of enforcing goals and deadlines can be somewhat daunting. Kristin Armstrong goal people ideas When I was a runner and competing in triathlons I was having pains in my hip and just treating it as an injury. I would ice it and take anti-inflammatories, but it just wouldn't go away. I finally went into my doctor and we did x-rays and had an MRI and diagnosed it as osteoarthritis. At that point I stopped doing anything that was impactful to my hip joints. Kristin Armstrong doctors ice pain When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness? Whatever it is, it's welcome. Kristin Armstrong scent welcome gratitude Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest, train hard and smart, make time to think and breathe. Be intentional with your time. Kristin Armstrong train-hard smart thinking It's tough though because of the whole part about getting sponsors and people out to watch women's cycling. I think the only way that women can really work it is that we have to work our way more into these big grand tours that the men have like the Tour de Georgia, Tour of Utah, and Tour of California. Kristin Armstrong cycling men thinking US Cycling is doing a lot now with camps in different towns or different regions, but I think a great place, and I'm not sure how much it's been hit, is camps for people that are involved in other sports. Why not put on camps for high school kids that are cross-country runners, because those are the some of the best cyclists. Kristin Armstrong sports country school It truly is a little intimidating to go speak at a middle school. Sure, on one hand the kids are only around 13 years old, but on the other hand, merely going back there reactivates the dorky, miserable feeling of being that age again. It isn't easy. As soon as I arrived I could almost feel the braces on my teeth, the don't-look-at-me slouch of my shoulders, the feathered wings of my bangs. Kristin Armstrong kids hands school