Marathon Training Update - November

I am now into the second month of my official twenty-week marathon training. It's been going pretty well, though there are still days when I wonder why I am putting myself through this torture!

No, it's not really torture. There are some out there that run, and hate every minute of it. I actually love running, and don't know why someone might push themselves to do an activity they hate. Now mind you, there are days when the challenge of warming up through that first, second, even third mile, makes me think of giving up. But I still love it. I would encourage anyone who hasn't tried running, not to be scared to try. I would also encourage anyone wanting to fit exercise into their lives, to find an activity they actually enjoy.

I finally feel like my old self again. After several years off of exercise, it feels great to be getting back into a fitness routine. Even though it's only been a couple months since I have consistently been running and exercising, my energy level has increased so much from where I began. I am still a slow poke, but that doesn't bother me...and I have actually improved my time as I rack up the miles.

Back in the early days in college, some of my friends affectionately (I hope!) called me She-Ra. Most days I would spend hours in the gym, and was semi-obsessed with all things exercise. I don't think I ever went to any extremes back then, but I certainly took for granted that I would always maintain the high-energy high-motivation fitness lifestyle.

I am not quite back to those day, but it doesn't seem so far out of reach anymore.

I will talk more about my training methods on another day, but I will say that I'm definitely a believer in the Galloway Method*, which is a run-walk method. It is very different for me to take short walk breaks at regular intervals, than just running until I cannot run anymore, then taking a break (my previous training method). My longest run thus far has been a ten-miler, and with this method, I was able to maintain a steady pace through the entire run and not feel like I was dying at the end! My recovery was also incredible. (I will also talk more about recovery methods later).

I have lost some weight, nothing extreme...and as exciting as that is, I have to remind myself that weight loss is NOT my main goal. It is a part of achieving my fitness goals, but I don't want to fall into old habits of becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale and sabotaging all the good that I've done. Do I still get on the scale more often than I should...probably. But I'm working on it.

I also continue to remind myself that achieving these goals is a long-term, lifetime commitment. I don't need rush...I need to take time and develop lasting changes. And I WILL get there!



*Learn more about the Galloway Method here:  Galloway Run/Walk

Well into Forty

I recently celebrated my 39th birthday.  I believe I have become better in some ways, and hopefully wiser, as I've gotten older. I certainly wouldn't do half the things now that I might have done in my twenties. But now, as I begin my 40th year, I have thought more and more about what kind of life I want to live as I age. I come from a family of women blessed to appear well below their actual age. And while it's been a few years since I was mistaken for a high-schooler, I think I've inherited this family trait. But, looks are not as important to me as my overall health and well-being.

Especially with the health struggles I've dealt with over the past couple years, now that I'm finally getting back to healthy eating habits and regular exercise, I'm even more determined to continue to make these habits long lasting. 

There are a lot of books and movies and other media that talk about being "forty and fabulous". While I certainly would like to consider myself fabulous as I get older, what I want more than that is to be well...Well into Forty!!

I recently started reading The Blue Zones by Dan Beuttner (author of Thrive). His book explores lessons for living longer from the people who've lived the longest. I will tell you more about this later, after I complete my reading and study of it. Reading this book gave me the idea to formulate and write down what I think it takes to be well. So, I came up with what I like to call:

Twelve Steps to being Well into Forty

1. Water 

2. Sleep


3. Diet

4. Skin Care

5. Rest


6. Hobbies

7. Personal Development

8. Exercise

9. Mediation

10. Fresh Air

11. Family Relationships

12. Friendships 

There are probably more simplistic lists out there. But for me these 12 steps encompass everything I need to be healthy and vibrant as I age. Over the next few post I will go more in depth about exactly how I am implementing these into my daily life. As with all my post...this is mostly for me, but I hope that others will be encouraged and find helpful information here!