On the road again

It's true (picture). I can't get back to the races I miss if I don't get back on the roads. A good friend and I were talking the other day about how we both need to find a way to add some fun back into our lives. Balance and all that jazz. Actually, I was telling HER how she needs to find balance in HER life and realized that maybe...just maybe...I could take my own advice. I sat quietly and asked myself - if you had some free time, what would you do for fun? The first thing I thought of was running. Races, traveling with my running buddies, being outside...surprising, but my first thought, nonetheless. So I decided to get real about it instead of making excuses for not getting out there. Yes, it is FREAKING hot. Yes, there are not enough hours in the day. Yes, it will be hard starting from scratch.

SO...I registered for a 10K in September (one of my favorites) and my friend and I (see above) are going to do Muddy Buddy in October. I have no time goals, I just want to run again. My goal for the 10K will be to cross the finish line. The goal for Muddy Buddy will be to have as much fun as possible (and get Stacy in a good mud fight). I've reconnected with my running friends and even though I'm way behind them, I'm showing up at the same places, talking them about their upcoming races, etc. It has really helped keep me motivated. The kiddo enjoys the walk/runs and we've been able to make it work with our schedule - so far. Right now it's just 30-40 minutes, so it's manageable. In the last 7 days, I've done 4 30 minute walk/runs. I'm following the C25K plan right now, so it's been 1 min run/1.5 min walk this week and starting on Monday it will be 1.5 run/2 walk.

I feel better - more like myself. I feel more motivated to get other things done - cleaning the house, running the errands I need to take care of - it's easier to STAY off the couch once I've gotten off of it.

I know, I know...I give up.

It's become extremely clear that the only thing standing in the way of me taking better care of myself is...me. I was talking to a friend today about getting fit and taking better care of ourselves all around and we were laughing because I was explaining to her that I'm not good at not being good at something. It's difficult for me to start over with my running. It's difficult for me to start up with p90x being in the shape I am in. I prefer to skip the beginning steps and just be excellent right from the start. It keeps me from trying more often than I'd like to admit. I've been like that since I was a kid - I would not play something until I knew the rules and/or was able to play well. Friends would play a new game and I would stand off to the side to make sure I understood the game and had some strategic ideas first. It's just how I am. So when it comes to getting back to my athletic endeavors, I like to make these grandiose plans that have me progressing at what would most likely be an urealistic pace. Then when it fails, I quit. I'm an "all in" kind of girl. So I give up. I admit that I have to start over - at whatever it is that I want to start over. I make no plans. Today I took a walk with the kiddo and we had a lot of fun. I think we'll try to take a walk again tomorrow. This does not mean that I need to running again by next week, or that I need to schedule a big race to create some incentive. It just means that I'm going to try my best to get me and the kiddo out of the house for a walk as often as we can.

In other news, the weight loss has stalled - which I expected. I have not completely reverted back to eating whatever I want, but I've slipped more often than I like. I'm grateful that the scale has at least stayed in the same place, which is nice. I tried Zumba last week at the gym and I have to say that it was a lot of fun - and an EXCELLENT workout. That damn class had me sweating buckets and I was even sore for a couple of days. I'm going to try and hit that class up when I can - it made me feel really great. I have a new haircut, which I'm completely in love with and would love to share with you, but I haven't taken a new pic yet. I'll try to get one up later this week. Other than that, all is well.