Walking in the the gym yesterday, I had an odd experience. It's resolution time again, so the gym is packed with new people. People who don't know the rules, people who are just starting out. Every year I get annoyed with the influx of people and wait impatiently for the thinning to occur in February. This year, I was still a tad annoyed at the lack of available treadmills, but more, I felt like one of them. I felt like a resolutioner.
I ended 2009 with a cold, so my gym time was rather limited. Between the holiday rush and feeling run down in general, I did not end 2009 on a very healthy note. Oh sure, I was getting some exercise, mostly in the form of Yoga, but I was not eating healthy.
I've resolved to get back on track with my weight loss efforts. No more hiding my failures, no more lying to myself by avoiding the scale. My jeans are tight, I know I've gained weight back. Facing the scale this morning showed me just how much. 166.9 lbs and 34.1% BF.
Those numbers are devastating, but I'm trying to think of them as a starting point. Because really, I'm starting over. I'm using all of the knowledge I've gained over the past two years and I'm starting fresh. Does that make me a resolutioner?
All of the tricks I've learned are back in play, I'm back to keeping a food journal, and I've got my calendar back up on my wall waiting for more stars to join yesterdays. To keep it interesting, I've got a slew of new fitness toys that I haven't had a chance to use yet, and my order of fitness gear from Old Navy arrived yesterday. If I keep the momentum going through the end of January, I'm going to reward myself with new running shoes.
Which brings me to my second major resolution: I've resolved to run my very first 5k this summer with my Running Buddy. Making it to the gym to run has become a priority. I need to run at least three days a week, with cross training days in between if I'm to have any hope of upping my mileage to break that 2 mile barrier I seem to be stuck at. Depending on which race we pick, I may only have till the end of May (right around my Birthday actually) to set myself up for a decent 5k.
My plan for training is simple, for now. Add one minute of running time each week. Yesterday I pushed a little to see what I had to work with. I ran a "warm up" of ten minutes, pushing my speed up into what is close to a sprint for me. After stretching, doing some ab work, and a little rest, I got back on the treadmill and ran at my normal pace. I tried for 20 minutes, but after having to take two walk breaks I called it when the timer hit 20, giving me about 17 minutes of running.
I'm waffling on my starting time. Should I scale back to 20 minutes or start with a solid run of 25 minutes?
2 comments:
Go, go, go! Good luck with the marathon training. One of my friends ran his first half marathon last year and has been hooked ever since.
I had a similar experience at the gym today.
I would go on and try the 25 minutes! Set that as your goal and if you have to walk a few minutes at the end, that's okay!
Good luck!
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