To pack or not to pack?

When my younger self was taking a vacation I always took my workout gear. I’d think to myself  - I’ll have all this free time and I’ll use it to get in really good shape.

I can’t remember a vacation where I found myself working out a lot. More often than not, I’d get home and unpack all my workout gear (and the guilt) that had never been touched.

One good thing about getting older is I’ve finally learned my lesson and I do things smarter so the workout gear rarely makes it into the suitcase. However, this trip I’m about to embark on is slightly different. Remember that 38 day Runner’s World streak? I’m still trying to do this so those running shoes will be packed and I will have to figure out how to get a run in every day. I’m ok with this and to tell you the truth, I finally feel like I’m on a pretty good groove with my exercise. Taking a week off would set me back so I’m glad that I’m being ‘forced’ to keep up with my runs.

Now let’s see what happens.

What Are the Age Requirements for the Treadmill?

If you read that headline and you already know I have two small girls, you’re probably worried that I’m pushing them into running. Don’t worry, I’m adamant about not pushing them into anything and I definitely want them to be the one to discover their passions.

However, a few nights ago my 4.5 year old caught me running on the treadmill in the basement. I’m very nervous about little kids being around a treadmill so I usually don’t run on it when they’re around. But the other night I really needed to put in a short run in order to keep my commitment to running 38 days in a row (see previous post about the Runners World Streak challenge) so I snuck down to the basement while my husband watched the girls.

First, I must confess that when I am on the home treadmill I sometimes go a little crazy – in a good way. In order to pump myself up, I typically shout out some positive affirmations to myself (actually, sometimes the opposite) and do a bunch of wooo hooos.  My daughter heard all the yelling so she came downstairs to find out what was going on. I guess it looked like I was having fun because when she saw me, she smiled and declared that she too wanted to run on the treadmill.  I told her it was time for bed and we’d talk about it later. She also asked me if she could get a running ‘outfit’ like mine.

The next morning the first thing she asked me is if I’d be running on the treadmill again and that she definitely wanted to join me. My response to her was that I had read the treadmill instructions and it clearly noted that a person must be 8 years old to use it (I made this up.) She was a little disappointed but nodded and said, ‘ok, when I’m 8!’ She had a big smile on her face when I told her we still could buy her a pair of running shorts and perhaps go for a run outside.

We’ve yet to go on our first run but she’s been asking quite often. I’m excited to see what she thinks. Will she be bored? Or maybe this will be the start of a life long passion like mine. 

Running with a Plan

Over the last few weeks, I’ve approached my workouts in a new manner….setting a plan to achieve a specific objective before setting out on a run. I used to just go out and run for however long and at whatever speed I felt like on that particular day. Clearly, I had a general idea of what I was going to do – but nothing beyond run two loops of the park. As you might expect, without a concrete plan it’s pretty tempting to ease back on the pace or shorten the workout 20 minutes into the run.

Now?  Before each workout, I determine the objective (endurance, speed, etc.) for that day and set a target distance and pace accordingly.  I print out the days “work” and bring it to the gym or park.  You might be saying “duh,” but ok, I’m a little late to the game. I’ve found that if someone’s not there pushing me (as might be the case in, say - a boot-camp class) well, that little piece of paper actually does the trick.  Who knew? In fact, while I’m looking at the words and numbers in front of me, I actually push myself harder.

Surprise, surprise, I’m seeing better results and feeling more pain which has to mean one thing…I might just be getting stronger and faster. 

Affair With A Treadmill

A friend of mine had an ongoing affair with a treadmill for over a year. Every day (and I mean EVERY day) she would go to the gym after work and do an indoor run logging many miles each night. I would tease her and suggest she to get the heck off that machine and run in the beauty of the outdoors. She never listened. Now?  I’ve eaten my words a bit as I’ve come to realize there are some great benefits to (occasionally) running on a treadmill..…..and today, actually enjoy doing so myself.

So what is it that I suddenly like about the treadmill?  Knowing my exact distance covered at any point during the workout, my pace to that point and so forth is great.   I LOVE racing against the numbers on the display. I can take one look at the data, crank up the speed and positive-talk myself (wait, did I just say that?) into going faster. I suppose I could buy one of those fancy Garmin watches to do the same thing outdoors - and probably will at some point - but until then, I plan to enjoy my newfound relationship with the treadmill.

By the way, my friend has since stopped seeing the treadmill every day… she’s now got something going on with a yoga mat.

Inspiration: Under Armour

Today I’m taking the blog in a slightly different direction – and writing on one of my favorite topics…things that inspire me.  Having a source of inspiration in my life is very important  - I don’t think I realized just how important until realizing that I hadn’t felt inspired in a long time. Let me caveat that statement by saying there are likely always sources of inspiration around me – but perhaps I just fail to notice given my mindset on a particular day.

When I’m not inspired, life feels flat and I’m simply not motivated….everything just feels well, sort of hum drum. But when I am inspired, it gives me a jolt like a cup of coffee and makes me want to live my life more fully. I want to get up and do things, I want to try something new, I want to figure out how to make myself a better person.

I recognize that inspiration and that act of being inspired is quite personal. For me, I feel it when I see the beautiful colors in a Rothko painting. I’m inspired watching a person who does something really well… and it could be as simple as meticulously organizing their master bedroom closet.  I am inspired when I hear someone’s life story about their ability to overcome a tragedy and not let it define them. In essence, there are so many things inspire me and I love being surrounded by it.

So let met tell you what inspired me this week. Under Armour – the sportswear and athletic brand. They’ve launched a new social media challenge called, ‘Taking it Back’, aimed at redefining the female athlete. An online community has been created - it's designed to help women reach physical goals through a series of training challenges. This is a ten week challenge and it’s too late for me to join, but I’ll watch these ladies and admire their perseverance and dedication to showing the world what it means to be a female athlete and... beautiful.

Watch this video below. These women kick butt. It will surely make you proud to watch this generation of strong athletic women and probably inspire you to hit the gym. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDXhHLmq5lc

RW Summer Streak Challenge

There are 152 days until the 2012 ING NYC Marathon. It sounds like a long time away but I know race day will be here sooner than I think. I have a stack of old running magazines piled up on my bedside table waiting for me to go through them to find a marathon training plan. I’m determined to follow a schedule (a first for me) and go into this race feeling prepared. My official training will start in July.

But don’t think I’m slacking off in the month of June. On the contrary, I’m using this mid year point to get some things done and take on new challenges.  The kids will be at camp for a few weeks and I’ve got a list a mile long of tasks around the house I’d like to accomplish (I'm sure my mom friends can relate to this). 

On the running front, one challenge that I’m super excited about is the Runners World Running Summer Streak 2012. Starting on Memorial Day and ending on Independence Day, Runners World challenges you to run at least 1 mile every day. That’s 38 consecutive days of running. It’s a brilliant idea because this is typically a time runners have finished spring races and are not yet ready to dive into their training for fall races. And down here in the South with the temperatures rising each day, it’s super tempting to blow off those runs.

So I’ve accepted this challenge and am happy to have 7 days behind me. It’s not easy but I’m committed to doing this. Normally, yesterday would have been a rest day for me.  By the time 7pm rolled around I really wanted to put on my pjs when the girls were putting theirs on - instead I laced up my running shoes and ran 1.3 miles. There is nothing that feels better to me than deciding to do something and sticking to it. It’s not too late to join the RW Summer Streak challenge… come suffer with join me for the remaining 30 days! Anyone up for it??