I’d like to add a new feature to the blog–not because I’m vain . . . er, well, that actually might be it, but because I was told by someone that they wanted to know more about me and my personal journey toward staying fit and training harder. So, I’m going to offer you updates and insight into my lonely, long, boring (er, uh, I mean exciting and fun to read about!!!) hours keeping my fitness level up. This person may have been terribly, horribly wrong about you wanting to know stuff about me, but here goes.
Let me fill you in on a secret. I lie about my age–well lie is a big word–I mislead people with my crushingly youthful good looks. Most people assume I’m 26. I’m good with that. In reality, I’m not actually 26. As long as you’re getting to know more about me, I also weigh more than I look. And for a cyclist and triathlete, this sucks. But up until the last month, I was cutting weight, getting to a good racing size, and picking up speed.
Then, my professional goals just had to interfere. I recently completed a series of comprehensive exams in order to earn my master’s degree. These were not fun. In fact, they kept me inside reading books I really didn’t, and still don’t, care about. All the effort I normally put into my training, I funneled into studying. And, while I graduated in style, I was not altogether stylish in my abuse of caffeinated, sugar-laden sodas and candy.
I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty awesome to pop open another can of Cherry Coke after I finished chugging the first two. But soon, the scale started flashing larger numbers, and I knew I couldn’t replace any more workouts with junk food. Though I’ve found that after having a kid, you just can’t help but think about your next meal–heck I’m already thinking about what I’ll have for lunch tomorrow. Fellow moms?
But, I have a race closing in on me in just over 1 month. So, fat, dilapidated, tired, and book worn, I lugged my chubby self over to the treadmill and decided to run last night. It was the first time I’d heard my thighs swishing out the pace in almost 3 weeks.
I surprised myself. Thirty-five minutes of actual running. It felt like about a 10-minute pace (remember, I said I wasn’t good at running–don’t judge), but who knows since I got my treadmill for free on Craigslist.
But here’s the deal. I need to run a 10k by the end of July. Help me to motivate, folks. Running is not fun. In fact, it’s pretty unfun (take that, linguistics!). And I also need a mantra that will build my willpower against sodas. Or, I need to have a BBQ where all my friends drink the cases of Coke I ended up with after my graduation party.
How do you stay motivated when life gets in the way of training? I tried watching this video. I don’t know if it made me feel like working out, or like a total loser who should probably just drink another Cherry Coke because it’s hopeless.
Here’s to adding 1 mile per week–all without caffeine! I’ll let you know how it goes–that is if you want to read about it. If you enjoyed this post, please let me know. I’m still deciding whether it’s a useful facet of the blog. Reading about me, that is. If you didn’t enjoy it, well, let me know. I’m probably more fun when I’m just passing on tips and reviews.
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