Get Fit

Hello, all!  I'm writing to you from my hotel room in Orlando, FL.  It's a Thursday night at 9:30 PM and I am unwinding after a long day of traveling and going on a business trip for Honda.

This gives me a chance to take a few minutes and write about something that has really developed for me, something I am proud of and want to continue.

I have really taken up exercising and getting fit.

As you know from previous posts, I got into competitive running for the first time this summer season.  I started at a 5K in May, and just ended the season by running my first half marathon on Sunday, October 17th (!!!!!).  It was awesome, and I even finished in under 2 hours -- a shocking goal that I secretly so badly wanted!  I went from a 5K to a half marathon in four months.  Whoa.

 

'Feel the whole city behind you' - slogan for my half marathon.  I liked it.

I trained for about 6 weeks.  Exercising 6 days a week, at least an hour every day.  I've gotten new running gadgets (new iPod, new navi wristwatch), I've mastered the trail in Marysville that I frequent.  I started doing yoga classes, I go to Zumba dance classes, and I ran 13.1 miles for the first time in my entire life, when I was running that half marathon.  The farthest distance I've ever run, nonstop.  It was fantastic.

 

The starting line -- Nationwide Better Health race, 10/17/10.

I felt so triumphant after I crossed the finish line, I cried.  And then when I finally fought my way through the winding crowds to find Zach, my biggest support in all of this, I cried again.  (Zach, you have been SO good.  You have come out to every single one of my races, even when they were at 7 AM in the darkness in some obscure community college campus east of the city.  You have patiently waited for me along the sidelines, took pictures of me, held my sweaty shirt while I'd get in the water line, etc.  THANK YOU for giving me a reason to keep running and pushing myself.)

The experience of the half marathon set aside (I guess I should have written a post about it back when it happened), I really have noticed an improvement in my life because I have been incorporating exercise.

I have lost some weight, and I have felt more tone.  Hair, skin, and nails are healthier.  I drink my four 8 oz. servings of water each day.  With that, I make healthier food choices.  I don't press the snooze button in the morning anymore.  The only chocolate I keep in the apartment are the chocolate chips in the granola bars I buy.  The most dramatic difference I've seen?  My digestive health is night-and-day improved.  Dare I say this is the healthiest I have ever felt.

Although, it is getting colder outside now -- I have to scrape the car in the morning before going to work, and I can see my breath puff in the air even at high noon -- so I fear this running season is done.  I plan to keep running through the winter.  I've networked and made some new 'runner' buddies through my races and trail sightings.  They've traded some pretty incredible stories with me about running on a trail in the dead of winter, making your own fresh prints in the snow and absolutely owning the place because no one else is out there.  Of course I'm now stocking up on appropriate outdoor weather gear to do this, too.

I have continued to attend my yoga classes and Zumba classes -- thank you Honda and your employee Wellness Centers!  As of two weeks ago, I joined an indoor soccer team too!  That's right, it's been 10 years since I last played on a soccer team, but I'm back at it and rekindling my old love for that sport. I've got two head-butt plays in already, and last week I even dropped a girl to her knees by trying to kick the soccer ball out between her feet.  (Whoops!)  :-)

What I'm trying to say is, I am really proud of myself and this has been a long road.  One I never really expected to make a turn on to.  It has been very, very challenging and sometimes, frustrating.  You have to be patient, and you have to stick to it.  I originally just wanted to run that first 5K race to see what I was made of -- look what I uncovered.  I won't lie, it is TOUGH to set aside an hour each day for exercise when all you want to do is just go home after work.  It is TOUGH to pass on all the yummy foods and second servings.  It is TOUGH to give up sitting around and watching TV in the comfort of your own home.

But it is so worth it and it has really opened up a whole new world of interest for me.  I feel rewarded and I am hooked!  I plan to keep investing in this.

Take care of your health!  Even if you are just thinking about it -- well you know there is then an interest there for yourself, too.  It is so easy to start with just taking the steps instead of the elevator.


To health and happiness!  Life is great, keep it coming.