Why do I always decide to get back on the wagon at the wrong times?First of all, I think that we can all agree January 1 is a stupid time to make a fitness resolution. You write your resolutions with firm strokes, in dark black ink. This year it will really happen! You look up from the freshly drying ink to see a blizzard. Not good.
But, even though I made a resolution, I didn't actually start to follow through on it until February. You would think that might be a little bit safer, right? Umm, no. Not in Cincinnati.
This was going to be the week. Keith and I have already paid our registration fees for the Flying Pig—he's running the Half-Marathon and I'm running the 10k the day before. It's only 3 months away, and I've maybe run from the couch to the door when the pizza arrives. Oh wait—I make Keith do that. So yeah, I have a lot of work to do.
I dredged up the schedule I had made in late December, ripped off "January" and dove back in. Saturday we checked the weather for the week.
January had been unseasonably warm. February? You guessed it. Unseasonably cold. I don't have what they call "proof," but I'm firmly convinced that the cold front swooping in coincided directly with when I renewed my promise to run around outside like a ninny.
On Sunday I lifted weights and did some yoga, which was sort of a compromise because I did work out, but still avoided the great out of doors.
But today was the test. High of 38, low in the frigid 20s. Goal: 2-3 miles. I tried to avoid thinking about it all day, because I knew that somehow I'd convince myself that I already had pneumonia or my leg was actually broken. Or my old standby is that, because I'm always sleep-deprived, it's actually healthier for me to take a nap on the couch than it is to wear down my body with physical activity.
Shockingly, I did it. I changed as soon as I got home from work and forced myself to march out the door, hiding the couch from view as I passed by. 2.75 extremely slow miles, but no walking.
If it's still cold next week, you'll know that I've stuck with it that long, at least!
1 comment:
Is it weird to say that I'm a little jealous? A 10K? I wanna do a 10K.
I've been sticking to 5K, and if I were to compete in the seniors category, I'm clocking in pretty well. In the 30-35, not so well. My defense, however, is that I have a bad left knee that isn't bad enough to fix and a pulled right hip flexor. And I find it hard to train on the treadmill because it requires an even pace and the ability to run in a straight line.
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