Just Say No...to New Year's Resolutions!

New Year's Resolutions are a joke. So I choose not to make them. Instead I wait until February and make New Me resolutions. In just a few days I'll be 38 years old and I've decided to get off my ass and really work towards bettering myself. I was relatively active in 2012 and 2013, running several RunDisney races and local events throughout both years. I biked both years at the Ride & Run to Remember in Washington, DC and I led a generally healthy lifestyle. In 2014 I slipped a bit...I ran some but not consistently, I left my bikes parked for nearly the entire year, and I didn't eat well. I'm at my heaviest weight since 2010, weighing in at 160 lbs. I do not like what I've let myself become. 

So in honor of my birthday, I'm making some changes for the better. Better eating habits, more running, and strength training are on the agenda and I couldn't be happier about the prospect of a new and improved me.

Today I started things off right, doing 30 bench press lifts at half my body weight, 30 curls, 20 butterfly lifts at 10 lbs, and 20 forward arm extensions at 10 lbs. then I hit the trails near my home and ran 3.25 miles followed by a .75 mile uphill climb/walk along a very steep trail. I followed that up with the first of my new nightly sets of sit-ups...I plan to do 50 every night before bed. Today I'm breaking it up into 25 before dinner and 25 before bed given that it's Sunday and I have a little wiggle room in my schedule. 

Here's looking at a new year in my life!

10-Miler, here I come!

In a little over 24 hrs I'll be stepping off on my first 10-Mile running event, the Tower of Terror 10-Miler at Walt Disney World in Florida. I'm very excited, though I am a bit nervous heading into the event as my body is feeling rather run down these last few days. 

Anyone who wants to track my progress can sign up for live updates at:

http://live.xacte.com/towerofterror/alerts/

Or check me out on Facebook. Starting time for my corral is 10:23 pm.

Cool morning, hot run!

Woke up early this morning, and decided to take a run. Did a 5K in just under 34 minutes. It was nice and cool outside, but I sweated hard. I'm really trying to keep my legs in shape leading up to the Tower of terror 10 miler this coming weekend, but trying not to overdo it!

Kicking it up...

I kicked it up a notch last night, running 10.12 miles on a path through my neighborhood. I started out just after 7pm and did my first mile at a really fast (for me) pace of 9 mins 51 secs, then slowed down a bit and averaged around 11.5 mins per mile for the duration. It got really dark, really quickly and I soon regretted not bringing a flashlight or wearing more reflective clothing. Luckily traffic is very minimal in my area and running in the direction of oncoming traffic helped me avoid any mishaps. I had hoped to finish out a half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles, but with the darkness and late hour I couldn't justify 3 more miles. I hope to finish up a 13.1 miler before the end of the week though, to serve as my entry into the NerdHerd Banned Books Week 5k/Half Marathon virtual event.

The pain lies down...

After taking a short recovery break from my recent injury at work, I got out and ran today. I did a 5.75 run around my neighbourhood at a reasonably slow pace, averaging around 11:51 per mile. It wasn't as painful as I had expected, though the arch of my right foot is feeling a little odd...I must have been compensating for the injury to my left leg a bit too much. Tomorrow I'll be biking if all goes well, then later this week I'll be doing a 10-miler with a friend to test my readiness for the Tower of Terror 10-Miler which is now just a few weeks away! 

It never fails!

Fate is a cruel and winsome wench. Just when I really start advancing my mileage, and just 4 weeks out from the first of 3 major running/cycling events I'm participating in, I get injured. And not from running or cycling, from a stupid work-related training activity. On 9/11 I sustained a major injury to my upper left leg which has left me sore and stiff, and extremely bruised. Walking is uncomfortable, and running is painful. I've been trying to stay off it and rush the healing process but only time will tell. At this point I have under 3 weeks until I head down to WDW for the Tower of Terror 10-Miler...here's hoping I can get at least some running in this week and get back in the swing of things.

Pushing the limits...

Yesterday I set out on a run with the goal of doing at least a 5k. I ended up doing 9 miles...I just couldn't seem to stop! It was great and was just a mile shy of my upcoming RunDisney race. Now I know I'll be fine when I head down there, which helps a lot. Today is a rest day, tomorrow  I'm going to try for at least 10 miles, perhaps longer!