Another Race

It has been several months since I wrote a post. It has also been several months since I worked out regularly. I have just signed up for another 5 km race. I find that during the winter months I seem to lose my drive and fall back into some of my bad eating habits. This coupled with the lack of exercising results in weight gain.

I have now been back at it for the last two weeks. I realize this is not long enough to create a habit, but I figure, at least it is a start. I also know that if I want to feel good during the two races I have signed up for (yes, two....I was planning on doing one, but a friend wanted to join me for a different race, so I am doing both--she is too) I need to lose some weight.

My eating always seems to be my biggest problem. I don't seem to have a problem getting back on the exercise horse. I eat when I'm happy, sad, stressed...you name it. Now if I were eating carrots this probably wouldn't be a problem, but I eat chocolate. That is my addiction. I am going to try really hard this time to cut it out and really stick to it.

Wish me luck!

Workout and Weights??

Today I went into the gym again, this is not usual for me during warmer weather as I prefer to be outdoors. I ran my usual 5 Km ( I can't believe that I just said "my usual 5 km", but I guess that is now my reality). As I was running I decided that I would take some time today and do some weight training as well.

Now I haven't done weight training in over 7 years. Before I had children, I felt that I could spend some extra money and get a personal trainer in order to learn how to do things properly and to keep myself motivated. Once I stopped working with Pauline (personal trainer), I did very little in the way of weight training. Occasionally I would go back to it, but never really stuck with it long enough to say that I have done it in the last few years.

I have decided that I need to add this to my workouts again. As I get closer to 40, I feel that I really need to start thinking more about my own health. I've always known the value of strength training, but haven't made the time for it in the last few years.

I have had a lot of support from friends, both real life and virtually. Thanks to everyone for their support.

A summer experience

I have spent the last month in Portugal. Once I was settled in I began some running. Running was very different there. I stayed in a small village with no sidewalks, so in order to avoid the main roads I ran down side roads which were mostly dirt roads.

It was a very quiet experience (although I did listen to my music). Normally, I am used to many people, cars, buses, houses, etc, however that was not what I experienced there. Most of my run took me past farms, fields of corn and potatoes and even a dairy farm (my cousin's). I loved the change of scenery although there was some other things I needed to adjust to, including the smell of manure.

I am glad to be back at home and am looking forward to going for my first outdoor run here.

A week long break

I had been dragging through the day. I think that now that the year is coming to an end I have hit a wall and I am exhausted.

But, I haven't run in about a week so at the end of the day today I decided that I should run. Unfortunately the weather did not agree with me as it started raining, downpour actually. So I decided to go for a run on the treadmill.

The run was 5.25 km (3.25 miles) and I completed it in 40 minutes. This was actually my best time yet. I am feeling really good that I actually did this run. I think that not having a goal of another race I have lost my focus. I need look into another race and sign up for one. That is my next job tonight.

Stair Climbing

In my quest for weight loss and becoming more fit I have enjoyed climbing the escarpment stairs. Once upon a time I didn't live very far from the stairs and would go out on almost a nightly basis.

It became a way for me to see my mother a few times a week. She would start out from her home and I would head out from my own home and we would meet at the stairs and walk and talk. As life got busier my walks became less frequent and then stopped altogether when I had my kids. I moved away and then didn't get into the area very often.

As luck would have it, my job took me back to an area close to the stairs and I was able to begin using the stairs as a means of exercise and destressing. I would head out after work and get in a quick climb before picking up my kids.

Today I completed another stair climb (800 steps each way) and felt very energized. Yes, my legs felt like they were on fire, but I love that feeling.

This weight loss and fitness path has really taken on a whole new meaning for me as of late. My husband and I are always trying to remind the kids how good it is to be fit and healthy, this being somewhat of a challenge seeing as we are both a bit overweight. Our kids are not. So it appears that we are preaching to the choir. I think running the race and seeing the look on my kids' faces as we ran to the finish line reminded me that I need this to become a lifelong quest for myself and for my family.

Running Alone

June 9th

This is my second run since my race. I ran on Monday and was feeling great after it. Today I started my run off slowly and didn't pick up much after that. This was more of a walk/run. I did manage to complete my usual route (I have a usual running route :) ) of 5.5 km. It took me 47 minutes. I do feel better for doing it, but I was definitely dragging.

I really enjoy running because it is my alone time and the time I get to listen to my music. The difficulty is that on a day like today if I were running in a group then I probably would have been able to run for longer periods. I find that being with other people I don't want to let them down so I would keep up the run for longer.

I am on a quest to build up my distance and speed up my pace. I think that I have made great strides in the last few months, but of course I would like to build up to a 10 km at some point in the future.

Another run done! Many more to go. Happy running to everyone!

To run

Yesterday evening I completed my first road race in seven years. I started small with a 5K race. It was amazing and I felt wonderful. I had been training for a couple of months but I had not been on the road as often as would have liked. Most of my training was done on a treadmill indoors. I wasn't sure how it would go yesterday as I was feeling rather drained.

My family and several of my friends came out to support me. It was great to have a friend meet me along the race and run with me for a short stretch. When I was close to the finish line I saw the rest of my friends and my family. The twins wanted to run to the finish line with me. So they joined me and ran hard to the finish line. We crossed the finish line in 39 minutes (which I understand that to many people is a long time for 5K but for me it was my best time).

The last time I ran was 7 years ago. At that time it had already taken me a couple of years to warm up to the idea that I could even do it. I never felt that I could be a runner since my experience had been that I could only run a block or so. In talking to a co-worker about her running I became confident that I could do this. I joined a running club and after a session I ran my first race. Shortly thereafter I ran my next race. At that point I was already pregnant and had doctors orders to stop running. That was the last race I ran.

I am so glad to have started back on the running path again. My kids have become so excited about the idea that they want to run a race themselves.

Bring on the next race!