As usual, I get so busy in life that I forget about sharing it. I looked back at the last post yesterday about the commitment day training getting ready to start. I did that training & enjoyed it so much, that I have kept up with it, thanks to the run club at the gym. I am healthier & happier for it!
Just a quick recap in case you are interested. My new buddies at run club convinced me to do the Fairfax Four Miler on New Years Eve in addition to the 5K on New Years Day. The four miler was a lot of fun & I was able to run the first 2-1/2 miles and walk/ran the rest with a finish time of 48:56. The 5k the next day was a personal record at 38:15. Since then I have been using my gym membership (novel idea!). I have started to spin & do core classes and even tried out Zumba. For those that know me, I have no moves, so Zumba was entertaining & a little frustrating! But I will try it a few more times - maybe I will get the hang of the steps!
My resolution for this year is to do a race/event every other month (or more). January I got out of the way on the first day. In February, Lifetime hosted an indoor triathlon, so I signed up. I figured it was all based on time, so I would be able to finish it. Starting with a 10 minute swim (18 laps for me), then a 30 minute bike ride (16.6 miles) and finished up with a 20 minute run (1.57 miles). Overall, I finished near the bottom of the pack, but I did it & have a base to improve on. I will definitely sign up for it again! February & March have been crazy at the office with trips & projects, but I survived it & kept working out at the same time. In the past, I would have skipped the workout, but thanks to my new friends at the gym, they provide the motivation to get there to join in the fun. Last weekend, many of them took part in the Rock & Roll Half Marathon in DC. I went down to act as cheerleader & enjoyed it so much. It was way better than actually running the race & I still got in about 7 miles for the day. It was such fun to cheer on the runners & enjoy the morning. Wish I had been able to catch photos of the guys when I surprised them near the beginning of the race, but they were too fast! At run club this morning, I was able to run with the group for the first time. Laura & Steve kept me going & when I needed to walk for a bit, they didn't try to push me. After we had gone a little over a 5K, I looked at my watch and saw the time was 36:20 - new personal record for a 5K for me! Took a little longer to go up Pickett Hill than it did to go down, but I made it & now I have more confidence in my endurance. Running with others pushes you farther & makes it more enjoyable.
Events I have coming up (to keep with my resolution!): MS Walk with team Friends of Fancy Matt in April; May races: Race for Hope 5K to support the Brain Tumor Society; Susan G Komen Global Race for the Cure 5K (in memory of my sister & my mom); Run Amuck 3-1/2 mile race in June; and the 4th of July 5K at the lake After that, the only thing I have on the calendar is training for the half marathon in OBX in November. Who wants to come run with me? If you don't want to run it, what about coming to cheer me on? It will be a fun weekend at the beach!
I have belonged to my gym since 2007 and it wasn't until this past fall, that I actually made some friends there. It is hard to go on your fitness journey by yourself. The encouragement from others doing the same thing makes a huge difference. If you belong to a gym, but don't know many people, try to step out of your shell & talk to them. Sign up for classes & talk to the instructors. They will help you out & encourage you to come back for more. Best news to report is that the scale has been moving lower too - down 32 pounds since August!
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