Pages

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Part 2: Greetings and Goals, 2012

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 165:

Another big post today, BlogLand. Yesterday, it was all about owning your learning experiences and leaving behind the "junk" in 2011. Today (Happy New Year!), is a fresh beginning. There's a lot to be done, this year.

But first, as always, down to the daily business.

It was Long Run Day. Yep. New Year's Day, after getting my Party on last night (I'm almost 30, I'll admit it, I don't recover *quite* as fast as I did when I was 21...). I realized I faced a choice: I could put my comfy clothes on, curl up, nap the dreary gray day away and "recover", or I could get out there and set the precedent for this Epic Year to come. And it will be epic, BlogLand. Epic of Biblical proportions, I tell you. I refused to kick that off napping and skipping a run.

Soo.... I figured out how to make it work. (Here's the lesson, people!) I prioritized the run, and what I needed to do to be able to do that. Step one, HYDRATE. haha... Had to recover from the previous evenings shenanigans. Step two, fuel the body... and no, leftover buffalo chicken dip, or a stop at McDonalds - despite how awesome that felt like it would've tasted at that moment - was not going to be adequate fuel. Step three (so crucial), take a wee nap. I was tired, I admit it. The nap had to happen - but not all day. Got in my bed, set the alarm and capitalized on re-energizing time with my pillow.

Alarm went off. This was the deciding moment. It would've felt good to stay in that warm bed. But (as I reminded myself), you know what else feels good? Knowing I stuck to my goals/plans, getting to the end of a run, seeing the weight loss after some consistent workouts. So, I shut up my whiny self, laced up my sneakers and got out to run around in the unseasonably warm (40 degrees!) January weather.

Here's what today's run looked like:
Time: 1:14:47min 
Distance: 6.02 mi
Average Pace: 12:25 min/mi

Hello Long Run Day, and a New Distance PR!! Yep,  I ran all 6.02 miles, straight through, minus the unavoidable stop for one big crosswalk. Now, granted, it was pretty slow. I probably could've done it faster. Sub-12 minute miles, I think... but, in all honesty, I was tired, still recovering, and pushing for the distance - not the time. I was pretty excited with myself that I was committed to getting that distance, even though I wasn't at 100% functioning.

It was a decent run though. The weather, while feeling damp and gray, was a good temperature. Everything was wet and puddley on the sidewalks, so I had a mini obstacle run... jumping puddles and lingering ice patches... right until I miscalculated and planted my foot squarely in the middle of one. Nice. 3+ miles to go, with wet socks. AH WELL. I guess it's just preparation for running in the mud...

The GT and I are in discussions about some better fueling/recovery techniques. At this point, when I get home from a run, more often than not, I'm ready to eat a horse and am feeling pretty spent. Pushing to that 6 mile mark (from a longest distance of 5!) was an exertion for me, for sure. I was tired. As I said to the GT, as I ask my body to perform more above and beyond, it may need more from me to accommodate. More things to learn!

Speaking of learning, I would like to note that I learned that yesterday's 100 sit ups in CF makes my abs VERY, very angry. Core muscles are not fun to be sore in, as you can't just not use them. Ouch. I'm hurting!

Onto the big stuff:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, as much as we discussed things I was leaving behind in 2012, I wanted to take a look at what I am going to make of 2012.
I think it is important to pause and take a look at the verbiage, too, there. I emphasize "what I am going to make of 2012," as that is a key concept. I have learned that nothing will just happen if you wait for it to happen. There is no better day than this day, no better moment than this moment... Chase down your dreams and beat them into submission, one step at a time. You'll often see me refer to STFU (Spartan'ing the eff up!), as it really states this concept for me. Spartan up - Make Goals, Get Tough, Make them Happen.

"Big Goals" for 2012:
- Continue to bring Positivity into my life, and leave the Negativity. People, Places, Thoughts, Plans, all subject to this rule.
- Run a 10K
- Finish the Spartan Trifecta (Sprint, Super, Beast)
- Find a healthy weight for me... approximately down another 35-40 pounds.
- Forget the fears, and "have a little faith." Who says I can't do a rope climb, or thinks I will be the last one across the finish line? Not me, not this year.

Medium Goals:
- Follow training plan. Get it done. No excuses.
- Complete Blog/Log/food journal, daily.
- Continue focusing on eating well. Low carb, more protein and veg.
- Fix the sleep schedule. Insomnia is not good for health.

Daily/Small Goals:
- Some pull up work, every day. One, unassisted, pull up by my Birthday (July 6th).
- One step forward every day, no matter how small. Even tiny steps (like only 10 pull ups, or a mile run) help to keep your head in the game when the going gets tough.
- Own ME. I am what I am. This is the body I have, and it is strong and beautiful - even if I am not a size 2. I also am competitive, emotional and mouthy. Love it, or get out of the way.

These are my health and fitness goals... but they transfer over to many areas of my life, I find. The more I "own me" and let go of the fears, or the person that I used to be, I am learning I CAN do anything. That brings something entirely different to a person's aura. I feel more confident, happier, successful... and with that, only seems to come more confidence, happiness and success. I can not WAIT to take my 30th birthday picture, having become the person that I wanted to be at 30... not the person that life would beat me into.

Dear 2012. Watch out. I'm coming.



1 comment:

  1. I had no idea you had such a way with words! Inspiring!

    ReplyDelete