On track

I am just 5 weeks from my race. I am on track with my running. That is not to say that I haven’t missed  a few days here and there, because I have, but overall I feel like I am getting stronger and the running is  getting easier. I did five miles yesterday. I’ll do five tomorrow, three on Friday and eight on Saturday. I have been able to get myself up to an eight-minute pace, but only for 1+ of my miles. The others are still in the 9:00 range. I am happy with that for now.

I need to be more conscientious of when and what I eat before I run. Last week I almost died having eaten only a short time before and the food of choice being spicy. What was I thinking?! Seriously the worst run in a long time – very difficult.  After that episode I was very thoughtful about what/when I put in my mouth and the run was thoroughly enjoyable and I was FAST! I felt strong. I pushed myself without wanting to die. It was amazing. Yesterday, I didn’t eat quite early enough and felt it.

What do you all eat before you workout, specifically with running? How much time to you give yourself? I’ve been running in the late afternoon M&W, late morning F and long-runs on Saturday mornings. Do you have a schedule that works best? Please share tips, insight, etc. I need to fine-tune things a bit here to really get more out of my runs.

I’m registered

Just a progress report to let you all know that I signed up for  a half in April. The money’s paid. The date is set. No backing out now. Here’s the skinny:

Lead Strong Half

Sat., April 30th

Only 200 runners on the NCR Trail

Training should have started last week,  but didn’t. It’s on now and I am excited. Anyone wishing to parallel train, let me know. I haven’t done a half in too many years, five maybe. I need this though. I am going to stay on top of my training and push myself to really do my best. What’s on your calendar this Spring?

 

Today is the first day of the rest of your life…

For FHE last night, we watched a Mormon Message on YouTube. It was all about looking forward and not dwelling on the past. One of the people in it said “everyday is the beginning of a new year, and it’s literally the first day of the rest of your life”. While driving in the car this morning, there was a song on the radio that had the same message – “today is the first day of the rest of your life”.

It’s a phrase we hear often enough. It’s even become somewhat cliche. But I tell you as I heard it yesterday and again this morning I was struck by the truth of the statement. It is amazing that today is a new day with no mistakes, no slip-ups. If I didn’t do great at my goals yesterday I can still do them today. Totally fresh start – every day. That, my friends, is motivation. Knowing and understanding that simple concept is going to help me stay focused, refocus when needed and planning for bigger and better things as I reach my goals. Have a great first day of the rest of your life.

Structure is Good

Today was my first day back at the gym in three weeks. I felt totally out of sync. I forgot my lock, bobby pins, gum, lotion, etc. I still ran. It was good.

There’s no excuse for my laziness. I’ve been on Winter break from school for the month of January. I’ve been productive, doing things around the house – just not exercising.

I started a new semester today. Its a big one – 17 credits. Even though this will add stress to my life, I am also grateful for the structure it will add. When I was filling out my daily schedule I made sure to add gym time every day. I know from experience that scheduling time to exercise, not just saying “I am going to exercise today” but really setting aside a certain time spells greater success for me.

So what are your tricks for success? How do you get yourself moving everyday?

What’d ya have for breakfast?

Whole oats, apples, cranberries, roasted Saigon cinnamon, milled flax seed, sweetened with agave, surrounded by a moat of milk.

How did you start your day?

A winter slug

It has taken me all day to prepare this post. I struggled to communicate what motivated me to start another blog. I have finally decided to throw eloquence and formality out the window, as these are not natural to me anyway, and just say it like it is. I’ll give you the long-winded version.

I have started this blog because I am a slug. I am a winter slug. The cold weather just about kills me every year. It has gotten worse since moving to Baltimore. In the West it wasn’t as bad because the cold is different  there. It doesn’t chill the way the Eastern cold chills – straight to your bones. But it isn’t just the cold that kills me. It’s the geography too. I am now a city dweller. I live in a city that I cannot run alone in unless it is the middle of the day and I stay out of certain areas. All excuses really because I have a Y pass and I can hit the gym anytime I like. The thing is, for some reason my fitness goals hit a serious slump right about mid-December. This year was especially tough. I was back in school and really driven to do well at my studies. As a result, I stayed up too late, eating food that wasn’t so good for me, sleeping too little, studying too hard, etc. I got great grades but my body paid the price. In just a few short weeks, I went from 3-4 days a week at the gym to 0. After finals, I had a bit of time to prepare for the holidays and recharge my batteries. Then my sweet parents surprised us with tickets to UT for the holidays and my R&R time went down the tubes as I tried to prepare for us to leave MD for Christmas. Fast forward to family time in UT filled with too many treats and not enough exercise and I came back to Baltimore feeling truly like a slug. Blah.

I need help. The idea has been fluttering around in my head for awhile now and I finally decided it needed to be out there. The idea is this: a network of women (and men – if they think they can keep up) spread far and near who want to be a part of something amazing. I want to create a place where ideas about healthy living and fitness can be shared openly. I want to celebrate others and my own triumphs, help work through the stumbling blocks and come up with new and exciting ways to implement positive change in my life and the lives of others. I want to talk about the sore muscles, the yummy, satisfying meals and the peaceful mediative moments that make life sweet.

I am looking for those with similar obstacles, goals and ideas worth sharing.

Why a blog then? It’s easy. It’s bigger than me. It’s a great way to get a lot of people involved. Here’s my motivation – in no particular order:

• I love hearing other people’s stories, experiences and challenges. It gives me strength and confidence to do things. It helps me grow and push myself in ways I didn’t think possible.
• I need accountability. I need to know someone else is aware of what I am working towards and help keep my on track.
• I enjoy giving, as well as receiving, encouragement, support and love when I am trying to accomplish something.
• Nearly everything in life is more fun when done with friends or family.
• I have always had greater success in achieving my goals when I have a support system around me. Going it solo is not only more difficult, but also not nearly as much fun.

Mostly I just want to hear your voices, be a part of your lives and hopefully enrich my own in a safe and positive environment. If you want the same things too then jump on in and join the discussion. I do not want to be the only one posting. (Quite frankly, I simply do not have the time to do it alone.) Let your voice be heard.

I love you for your interest, your friendship, your examples and quite simply for the people that you are each and every day. So… What’s on your mind?