Starting Over

It's been a long time since I posted. Life has been crazy. I've been sick, had an injury, and really have just been feeling blah. No mojo. No interest in eating healthy or exercising. The thing is - this is the time I most need to be focused. Halloween through Christmas is a difficult time. Yummy food is everywhere, and our schedule is crazy.
I've set a couple of goals for November. I need something to keep me accountable. I follow this awesome blog called Run, Eat, Repeat. She does an accountability event every November called Pile on the Miles. You set a goal, check in weekly, and can possibly win prizes for staying on track. I've never participated before, but this seemed like the perfect thing to keep me focused. I set a goal for consistency - running 3x a week (one long/ two short). I need to get back into the habit of regular running, and I want to rebuild my base.
I've added one other goal. My friend, Michelle, invited me to join a virtual race during the Thanksgiving holiday. It benefits ALS and is put on by Swim Bike Mom. I like that I can choose my own distance, and it will be a good goal to train for during November. Plus, a perfect jump start to staying consistent this winter.
Starting over. It feels like I am always starting over. I'm definitely ready to get focused and feel better. I always feel better when I eat healthy and workout.

A Week Of Exercise

Last week was a pretty good week. It started out rough. Monday I had a tough TKD class. I was feeling really off, and nothing went well. I was frustrated. I decided that Tuesday would be a better day, and I would practice TKD. I want to improve. That takes work. I did a circuit workout of TKD and practiced my pattern. I followed that with a heavy leg workout. It was a good day.

Wednesday and Thursday got away from me. I walked the Moon Dog, but that was the only exercise I did. Friday I did a heavy dead lift / pushup workout followed by an upper body workout. I've lost a little strength, but I'm still at a pretty good dead lift weight.

Saturday was another day off. Too much going on. Sunday I went for an amazing hike with my friends. It's almost peak foliage, and it was a beautiful morning.

This morning I ran with a friend. It was a beautiful morning, and we did just under 4 miles. Great start to the day, and it really helped loosen up my sore legs. I walked Moon Dog another 2 miles, and I have TKD tonight. I'm feeling really motivated today. I might throw in a biceps/triceps/shoulders workout, too. I've missed lifting.

Epically Good Day

This day has been epically good.

I took this guy to Waterbury this morning for the Leaf Peeper Half Marathon/5k.

He was excited about everything. His shirt, the Bove's spaghetti sauce, his number, the 33 porta potties... It was a fun day. We ran most of the 5k, and he had a great positive, attitude the whole time. People cheered for him, and when he crossed the finish line they announced he was the youngest finisher. He liked that.

My favorite part was near the end. Just before we got to the finish line, he told me he wanted to fly over the finish line. I said, "Go for it.", and he took off. Beat me by a good 6 seconds. He asked if we could do it again next year, and I definitely agreed we should. Love my running buddy. We had such a great time.

This whole weekend has been great. Yesterday I got up early and hiked with a bunch of awesome ladies. We hiked my favorite mountain. It was cold. We saw snow near the top and a gigantic porcupine. It was an awesome morning.

Awesome weekend.

Hello, DOMS

It's been 2 days since I did Leg Day. Hello, DOMS.

My legs hurt a lot. I haven't been this sore in a long time, and honestly, I'm enjoying it. I pushed myself to do a hard workout, and I followed it up by working out with a couple of my clients that evening (again - tons of leg stuff).

I've been feeling a lot more motivated lately. Some of it has to do with not being sick anymore (yay!), but some of it also comes from dropping down to the 5k. I didn't realized how stressed I was about the half until I decided not to do it. I'm sleeping better, feeling calmer, and have so much more motivation. Still, I don't need any of those reasons to justify my choice. The Artist is so excited about the race, and that is all I need as proof that I made the right decision. We're going to have so much fun!

My growing motivation has been bleeding over into other areas of my life. I'm working on several writing projects right now and have been making a lot more progress lately. I'm getting in at least an hour of work every day. I'll take what I can get.

I'm super excited to go hiking on Saturday morning. It's foliage season and the perfect weather for hiking. Plus, I love an early morning hike with friends.

Life is good.