My dogs have been looking at me a little funny today due to the strange groaning noises coming out of my mouth every time I sit down. My thighs (or quadriceps for those of you who want to get technical) seem to be the hardest hit muscle group. Running a distant second would be my chest, from the hundreds of push-ups that I did (only kidding, since I told you yesterday that I could only do 1 or 2). I jogged again today... probably around 2-3 miles interspersed with walking. I think that my walking might actually be faster than my jogging. I started out with my Golden Retriever, Bodhi. I thought that he might enjoy spending a little extra time with me, but after his second bowel movement (too much information?), I decided that he was slowing me down. Really the only thing that was much slower than me was stopped.
Why is it that people want to rain on your parade? Why is it that we're generally not supportive of each other? Why do we have to point out all the things that could go wrong instead of all the things that could go right? I've noticed this lately and that's why I don't even mention half of the ideas I have to other people. I find myself having to defend my position. What if we went out of our way to support each other? What if when someone shared an idea with us we said, "Wow, that's a great idea... what can I do to help?" Wouldn't that be unique? Let's all give it a try.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Zero to half marathon in 30 days!
I've had some crazy ideas in the past year, especially when it comes to finding a job. My latest was applying for and getting a job as an Identity Theft Specialist, which turned out to really be a 100% commission based sales job for Prepaid Legal. I have nothing against Prepaid Legal... I actually think they offer some great packages for the average person to have access to legal advice and identity theft protection. But.... and this is a big BUT... what makes me think that I would be good at sales? It's something that I've avoided like the plague my entire life. You want to know why? I hate rejection! Hmmm... let's think about this. Even the sales training admits that you have to approach 24 companies to get 8 meetings to get 2 sales presentations. In my calculations, that's 22 rejections! Ouch! I could do it if I wanted to torture myself. In the 2 days that I applied myself toward it, I got so upset and angry that I almost gave myself a stroke. I rated myself at 9.5 on my 10 point scale of feeling like killing someone. I had to admit that this was not a good sign. There's got to be a better way to make a living.
Where does a half marathon fit into this? It's a little convoluted, so see if you can stay with me. Or maybe it's not convoluted at all. Yesterday I put on a pair of Adidas running pants that I haven't worn in a while. Instantly, they transformed me. I immediately felt comfortable; like coming home. Many people say this about finding the right church. When they walk in the door, they immediately feel like they're at home; like they're at peace with themselves and with the world. That's the way I felt when I put on these pants. They are me. They remind me that I'm an athlete. Maybe not an Olympic swimmer or a competitive athlete, but an athlete just the same. It's in my DNA. It's who I am. It's what I know. It's a God-given talent that's been put on a shelf to gather dust. All it needs is a little shaking off and a little practice to get all the pieces moving smoothly again. And then I'll be at the top of my game again... finally.
I have to have a goal. I've run 5Ks before and even 10Ks. I even ran a 10 mile race in Washington, DC. I never thought I'd want to run any farther than that, but where's the challenge in doing something I've already done before? So when my friend, Paula, mentioned that she's training for a half-marathon in February, that sounded like a good idea. The race is on February 19th, exactly 30 days from today. I haven't been running for at least the last 10 years. No running, whatsoever. Well, I did jog/walk around the track at the high school one day last year. But for all intents and purposes, I'd say I'm at ground zero. Most people look at me and think I'm in good shape. I'm not. We, as a society, equate being thin with being in shape. It's not. I can't do more than one or two push-ups. This is from the woman who did more push-ups than any other trainee in basic training. I could easily knock out 50 perfect push-ups. Now I'm lucky to do one. I may be thin, but I'm not in good shape. That's all going to change.
My goal in the next 30 days is threefold:
1) run the Livestrong half marathon on February 19th
2) be able to do 30 push-ups and 50 sit-ups
3) get my certification as a Certified Personal Trainer
I also intend to blog daily about my journey toward this goal. I already started jogging this morning. Yes, I had to walk alot, but I also jogged. I'm sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow. I'm practicing push-ups and dips and crunches and I'd even like to do some chin-ups if I can find a bar. I'm stretching my muscles to keep from cramping. And I'm going to start drinking my protein drinks again. I thought about going on a strict diet but I decided against it. I'll do the best I can but I'm not giving up my chocolate!
I hope you'll follow me along the way and cheer me on during the race, even if from afar. Maybe you'll even set your own goal and we can encourage each other. The sky's the limit... let's go for it!
Where does a half marathon fit into this? It's a little convoluted, so see if you can stay with me. Or maybe it's not convoluted at all. Yesterday I put on a pair of Adidas running pants that I haven't worn in a while. Instantly, they transformed me. I immediately felt comfortable; like coming home. Many people say this about finding the right church. When they walk in the door, they immediately feel like they're at home; like they're at peace with themselves and with the world. That's the way I felt when I put on these pants. They are me. They remind me that I'm an athlete. Maybe not an Olympic swimmer or a competitive athlete, but an athlete just the same. It's in my DNA. It's who I am. It's what I know. It's a God-given talent that's been put on a shelf to gather dust. All it needs is a little shaking off and a little practice to get all the pieces moving smoothly again. And then I'll be at the top of my game again... finally.
I have to have a goal. I've run 5Ks before and even 10Ks. I even ran a 10 mile race in Washington, DC. I never thought I'd want to run any farther than that, but where's the challenge in doing something I've already done before? So when my friend, Paula, mentioned that she's training for a half-marathon in February, that sounded like a good idea. The race is on February 19th, exactly 30 days from today. I haven't been running for at least the last 10 years. No running, whatsoever. Well, I did jog/walk around the track at the high school one day last year. But for all intents and purposes, I'd say I'm at ground zero. Most people look at me and think I'm in good shape. I'm not. We, as a society, equate being thin with being in shape. It's not. I can't do more than one or two push-ups. This is from the woman who did more push-ups than any other trainee in basic training. I could easily knock out 50 perfect push-ups. Now I'm lucky to do one. I may be thin, but I'm not in good shape. That's all going to change.
My goal in the next 30 days is threefold:
1) run the Livestrong half marathon on February 19th
2) be able to do 30 push-ups and 50 sit-ups
3) get my certification as a Certified Personal Trainer
I also intend to blog daily about my journey toward this goal. I already started jogging this morning. Yes, I had to walk alot, but I also jogged. I'm sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow. I'm practicing push-ups and dips and crunches and I'd even like to do some chin-ups if I can find a bar. I'm stretching my muscles to keep from cramping. And I'm going to start drinking my protein drinks again. I thought about going on a strict diet but I decided against it. I'll do the best I can but I'm not giving up my chocolate!
I hope you'll follow me along the way and cheer me on during the race, even if from afar. Maybe you'll even set your own goal and we can encourage each other. The sky's the limit... let's go for it!
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