Hiking with Mom

A week ago today, I drove the 3.5 hrs up to the northern part of this province, New Brunswick, to my family’s hometown of Campbellton, which rests on the border of Quebec. The coastal vistas are amazing, especially when enjoyed at a higher than normal viewpoint, and while the mountains are not nearly as high as the Rockies of the Canadian and American West, they are beautiful in their own way.

I hadn’t been to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain (not to be confused with Sugarloaf USA, though we do have a ski hill in the vicinity) in years, so I told my mom that I wanted to climb it before heading back home on Wednesday. My cousin had joined me in the drive up to our hometown, but she had some sort of sinus/chest infection, rendering her lungs unable to take on the task of the hard breathing a hike like that would entail. My mom was up for the task but rather than climb in the afternoon on Sunday or Monday, we waited until early Tuesday morning so it wouldn’t be as hot and humid.

Just a little about our Sugarloaf Mountain…it is part of the northern Appalachian Mountains, stands approximately 1,001 feet (305 meters) within the borders of Sugarloaf Provincial Park and is a late Devonian Age volcano! Circling its base is the Terry Fox Trail, where every year, shortly after the school season begins, children and adults of all ages partake in the run honoring none other than the trail’s namesake. For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Fox’s heartwrenching, courageous story, you may find it here.

Tuesday morning rolls around, bright and sunny with a cool breeze, the likes of which we’d appreciate later during our hike. We both agreed that the hike would not be a race to the top, but rather something to savor, enjoying it for the quality time together that it was. We set out with our small backpacks, our water bottles (I had left my hydration pack back home in Moncton) filled with ice cold water we both knew would not remain that way for long, and of course, digital cameras with plenty of battery power and space on their respective memory cards.

The nice thing about a small town the size of Campbellton is the fact that even if you have a vehicle, you really don’t need it as everything is within walking distance. We left my truck at Mom’s and walked about 5 minutes or so before going under an overpass with the highway above it, reaching the trail at approximately 10:05, the summit about an hour later (we took our time, taking a multitude of rest breaks on our almost vertical journey). The worst part of the trail is not the base of the mountain, but rather the part that seemingly rises straight up into the air, an almost vertical climb, steep and rough, making my legs burn with lactic acid buildup and my calves scream for mercy.

Now, this isn’t the only trail to go up to the top, where an observation deck awaits those brave enough to step out onto it’s “metal-grate like” surface. There is another trail for those who wish to “rough it” a little more, made of a narrow, packed-mud surface, a scattering of pine needles and leaves carpeting parts of it, and gnarled tree roots reaching up to trip you with each step you take. I have used this trail in the past but that wasn’t the plan for my most recent climb (still too out of shape for that one at the moment…lol).

After what seemed like endless stops and starts, we came across the two sets of “rock stairs” rising up from the trail, with a thick cable and railings (put in place many years ago) that facilitate the remainder of the hike to the summit. Next came a ladder of sorts, metal in nature with railings on either side and a metal mesh bottom that eased the walk across and up it. The ladder begins at an almost horizontal position, ascending vertically at an angle to assist in making it past what used to be a very rocky hike. Words of advice: don’t look behind you as it might make you dizzy if afraid of heights. You can look down, because you won’t see much through the ladder’s mesh floor except the rock that you’re bypassing instead of attempting to scale.

This next photo depicts the sense of humor I tend to have at times, as well as my love of taking “funny moment” pics. My attempt at looking scared of the height of the ladder. LOL!

Then came what we worked so hard to achieve: the breathtaking views of Campbellton and the beginning of the Gaspe Peninsula on the Quebec side, their rugged coastlines and scenic vistas standing out against the deep blue of the Restigouche River and Baie des Chaleurs (Bay of Heat, directly translated from French). This scenic panorama always gives me a slight pang of homesickness as I do miss home, but it’s quickly replaced with such an overwhelming sense of pride in all the beauty that Campbellton has to offer. Home…a little gem of a town with a jewel of a river running by.

While we basked in the scenery surrounding us, Mom and I were treated to another amazing sight: a flock of 7 hawks were circling nearby (I’ve never seen anything like it during any of my previous climbs). We watched them for a while, ducking in and out of the lush greenery around us, flying to the backside of the mountain, then appearing before us once again. Many scenic pictures later (it was hard to catch the hawks in a good picture), Mom and I decided it was time to head back down to face the rest of our day and think about the lovely supper we were going to enjoy at 7pm that evening. Supper guests included some cousins, my aunt and a friend, with the gathering point to be at our local Pizza Delight restaurant. It was delicious and Mom and I felt we had certainly earned it! After our meal, I was so sleepy from eating all that food, but also from that wonderfully fresh, fragrant air and the warmth of the sun we soaked up that morning. I certainly slept well that night, feeling refreshed the next morning upon waking. The only protestations were from my glutes and quads, the rest of my body felt fine.

Enjoy the read and pics; thanks for checking in!

Vibram FiveFingers: Seeya

I just wanted to share this little video I found, courtesy of Runner’s World magazine and their website.  It is a video introducing Vibram’s newest addition, the much lighter Seeya barefoot (minimalist) running shoe.

I tried to just post it as a video, but couldn’t get it to post properly, so I had to add it to a post.  I’ll get used to video posting with WordPress soon enough (I hope…lol).

Enjoy!

 

 

Vibram FiveFingers Seeya

Barefoot Running…explained

Thanks for this post John, better explains to my followers why I love my Five Finger Shoes.

Well-Deserved Goal

Well folks, I did it!!! I set out on a run last evening, after a 12 hour shift, hoping to accomplish one thing, and one thing only. And accomplish it I did!!

At the onset of my run, I had no particular distance in mind that i wished to cover and no intention of setting one up as a goal in the Nike+ app either. What I did know was that I needed to run on a flatter, more stable surface to allow my calves some time to recover from the two long-distance runs (mixed with walking) I did on the rugged terrain of the old landfill trail last week. So off I went with my tunes and the evening’s fresh air engulfing me in its coolness. The run around the lake was wonderfully cleansing and as I ran through the burning in my legs and chest, I felt invigorated, alive, focused intently on my one goal last evening: to run for 20 minutes straight, irregardless of pace or distance traveled. I’ll admit, I almost slowed a couple times, but I kept telling myself, “You can do this” and “you’ve GOT this”. Mentally spurring myself on enabled me to overcome that hurdle, and by the time I reached the last rounding corner of the lake, re-entering my neighborhood, I had a minute to go before hitting the 20-minute mark. Once the goal was met, I slowed my pace for a minute, then ran the next minute, walked the next minute, ran the next and finally, nearing my street, slowed once again to walk the last minute and fifty-three seconds to my door. I had accomplished my first of many bigger running goals!

I finished the run with a distance of 3.2km, a total time of 25min 53sec and an average pace of 8’05″/km. My legs were thankful for the slight reprieve the run around the lake gave them, even though they are somewhat achy today. I’m at work for another 12 hour shift and I plan to ice them when i get home. I’ve been stretching and trying to move around, even though we haven’t been busy at all so far today (knocking on wood as I write this), just to decrease the stiffness I will most likely feel later. Water is my constant companion today…it will decrease the muscle soreness, as will all the stretching I did post-running last night.

I’m still undecided on whether I should run this evening or take a night to recover…I feel like I’m cheating myself if I don’t go for a run, but at the same time, I understand the body’s need for time to heal and to not overdo it.

I’ll keep ya posted on my progress!

Shredded Meat

Can you guess how my run went this evening (the title kinda gives it away)? What’s that you say? Horribly? Nah, not quite that bad, but I did push myself hard. Maybe a little too hard because my calves feel as though they were put through a meat grinder, hence the title: Shredded Meat.

I had good intentions last evening after work. Go for a run and then home in time to have my favorite Thai food for a late supper (Paul was picking it up). Well, that didn’t go quite as planned, which is to be expected, given the nature of the job I do. We ended up getting a 911 call and after leaving work an hour later than I should have, I went home to have supper instead; I was famished!! At that point I hadn’t eaten in several hours, so food was first and foremost on my mind.

Fast-forward to today, Hump Day for those who work Mon-Fri or attend school. It was a beautiful day, mostly cloudy with occasional sunshine peeking out. I had cleaning and laundry to do, as well as a few errands to take care of. After that was done, it was suppertime, so my running time was pushed until a little later in the day, more like early evening. Had to make sure my supper wasn’t going to cause any problems (later during the run) before going out. I wanted none of those nasty little stitches in MY sides!

This evening, I wanted to try a new trail to change the scenery, since I find it so refreshing and it keeps boredom at bay. Technically though, tonight’s trail was not new to me as I have walked it several times in the past, but had never tried running along it. Parking over by the ball fields, I got out, stretching a little to warm up, set up my running tunes and off I went, thinking “Am I ever going to feel this later!” These thoughts were rampant in my mind because this trail presented a few steep hills (challenging to me as I’m not “there” yet) and I just knew my calves weren’t going to let me off the hook so easily. And, was I ever right on that one! They did nothing but complain continually after the first hill! They burned so bad and felt shredded, I didn’t think I could go on, having barely commenced my run, but then something in me ignited and my fires of inspiration, desire and passion for running fully engulfed my consciousness, propelling me forward. My pace suffered greatly tonight, I admit that, but in all reality I was so focused on just completing the entire looping trail, I never gave it much thought.

The iPhone app, Nike+GPS, joined me as always, but I didn’t set any time or distance goals, seeing as I wasn’t sure of the distance of the trail and I didn’t want the “pressure” of completing the set goal tonight. I just wanted to run and did I ever try! Slowing many times along the ups and downs of the dusty trail contributed to my overall pace being slower than usual. On the flip side, however, I jogged the majority of 6.17Km at a pace of 8’36″/km with a total time of 53min 8sec; not too terrible for all the hills and my screaming calves. The funny thing was, I was so focused on my stride, foot strike, posture, breathing, the music, scenery, surroundings and attempting to run through the burn, I barely kept track of how many times I actually slowed the pace to give my legs a break. I know it was quite a many times, but never for more than a minute before I bumped up to a light jog again.

My intention was to complete the loop and go all the way from the bridge-side of trail to the causeway/traffic circle end and back to the bridge. However, due to the fact that I only began the trek at almost 19:30, I didn’t make it all the way to the causeway as the sun was beginning its descent to the horizon and daylight would start to fade soon afterwards, so the decision was made to turn around when I was approximately 3.2km in. The other downside is that the trail is unlit and tricky in some spots, a great combo for stumbling and tripping in the dark.

The trail is actually on top of an old (and I’m talking many years) landfill site (I know, GROSS) that was covered over and “beautified”, if you can visualize that. It’s really not a bad place at all, just ignore the occasional odor wafting by (which might be from the muddy riverbanks) lol. In all seriousness though, the trail was quiet, despite the music in my ears, with the occasional sound of a few birds, distant cars and the water rushing through the open causeway gates (yes, I stopped to listen, during the couple times I actually paused my workout and stopped to take a few pics). The air was fresh, cool, devoid of the exhaust from distant traffic. I even watched a plane overhead, ascending into the twilit sky, oblivious to everything below it. I wondered, briefly, where they might be going, then picked up the pace and continued on to my destination, again stopping for a minute or two to take a pic of the bridge that spans a stream of water leading to the Petitcodiac River (more affectionately known by locals as “The Chocolate River”). After the trail bridge, it was back under the road bridge to get to the parking lot and ball fields. Some kids had graffiti-ed the underside of this road bridge, but it added color to its belly, making for a decent picture. I don’t mind tasteful graffiti.

I made it back to my truck but not before a voice-over from Nike+ told me that I was nearing a distance record and I should “tap now for a power song” which I did. I needed that upbeat tune to keep jogging to the truck. Was I ever happy to see that parking lot and the truck, stopping briefly to stretch before getting in and heading home. I can’t wait until my calves feel up for this run again, I enjoyed the trail that much. I’m thinking tomorrow I may need to rest them, but then again, you never know. As the old saying goes: “No pain, no gain” but if it becomes too much, then I’ll have to rest. Simple as that. And as much as my pace suffered tonight, I’m proud of myself for “going the distance” and trying to better my posture and foot strike positioning, not to mention tackling those hills!

I’m contentedly exhausted so I’m going to go for now, night all! Enjoy the pics which I’ve added to this post.

Shift Change

Once again, I allowed three days to go by without a run, but that was due in part to my weird shift I used to work. My shift consists of 12 hours but since last August (18th day, Aug.2011) my team was working from 10 am to 10 pm, which made running after work very unappetizing. My preference has always been to run in the evening, so it was a bit of a change in my routine to attempt to do this in the morning, before my shift started. After all, I was up around 7am and only went to work for 10, so why not try running in the morning? Well, I only seemed to have the energy for this every so often, which in all honesty, was not as often as I would have hoped, or liked for that matter. Scrap that idea. And there goes several days with no runs logged…grrrr! My brain was sending me on a guilt trip…”you have to exercise, just think of what you ate today!!” LOL!!

My team received some great news last week in the form of a new time slot for us…a shift change of sorts. So the rumors we had heard a few weeks before were true. It was happening! As of April 30, today, we would be commencing our shift at 8am and ending it at 8pm. We are what’s called the “daytime peak truck” therefore, we log on and log off, without relieving anyone or having anyone relieve us at shift change. For us, it’s shift start and shift end. Simple as that. Once upon a time, we were the 9-9 truck, which still allowed me to do my evening run, but when they switched us to 10-10 last August, I had to rethink running that late at night. And so, in pranced Sir Laziness with his evil ways, forcing me (okay, I admit, I went rather willingly) to continue to forgo my runs, and before I knew it, I had not run in months.

No More Excuses now!! I have an early start and an early finish at work, no reason not to run after the shift. So, I came home, changed and ran out the door, down the street, around the lake and up a hill onto some side streets I hadn’t tackled yet. My pace wasn’t too fast tonight but I really tried to focus on the quality of my run instead of the speed of it. For the most part, I ran the better part of 3K, maybe a little more, stopping once to take a quick pic of the lake (couldn’t help it, it was beautiful) and along the way, slowing my pace only 3 times, once was very necessary as it was after the trek up the hill and the next slowdown was when I was almost home with about a kilometer left to go (I had set it up to run a 4K as my goal) and I noticed a pinching sort of cramp in my left hamstring and glute. I pressed on and after the brief slowdown (they were less than 30sec each this evening, yay me) I picked up the pace again and attempted to run through the cramping. I managed it and made it home with a time of 32min and 55sec, a distance of 4.17K and pace of 7’53” minute kilometers. Not too shabby for someone who was tired from working 12 hours and being on the road for most of it. I’m happy with how I felt after completing it.

During the run, I had my tunes playing at a moderate volume, the air was fresh, no traffic rushing by (on the side streets anyway), the night sky was beautifully clear, the stars were shining brightly, the half moon was up to light my way along with the streetlamps, and what do I hear above the music? Birds!! High up in the trees, singing their nighttime lullabies, making me smile as the song of a bird tends to do to me. It was such a true sign of spring and summer, just to hear them sing like they were. This is why I love an evening like tonight to do a run. The air is so clear, crisp and cool, it’s very cleansing and I feel like my mind and body are cleansed of the clutter I accumulated in my busy work day. I still feel that way now, albeit slightly more relaxed, as I have stretched, cooled down, showered off and topped up the water glass. I’m ready for bed shortly as I have one more 12 hour shift to work before enjoying 4 glorious days off, but I must say, I’m really liking our new shift change time. Running, I think I’m here to stay!!! No wait, make that I KNOW I’m here to stay!!! My running fire has been rekindled and this change in shift time will really boost my desire to run after work.

I will be able to run a straight 5K soon enough if I can continue at this rate. My coaching program had no run slated for today, but I did one anyway, so stay tuned to see what tomorrow’s after work run will be!

Campfire in a Cup

After three days of not running, I made it out yesterday, after first checking my Nike+ coaching page to see the day’s run. It turned out to be a 4K, which, after three days of resting my legs, I figured should be a “piece of cake”, especially since the day dawned with some sunshine (finally, after what seemed like days of grey and rainy skies).

So, off I go, my beginning pace actually faster than it had been during the last several runs, which was awesome (so long as I could keep it up, I kept thinking). My breathing remained stable, pace was nice, tunes were pumping and then, the first of what was to be many speed-bumps along the way. I had to slow down, my calves were on fire! I slowed my pace, lightly jogged for approximately 30 seconds or less, then bumped up the pace again, thinking all the while: “I’ve got this now!” “Oh, no you don’t” came the quick reply from my lower body, forcing me to all but stop, yet again. Throughout the run, I must’ve slowed my pace 11 times (yes, I counted!!!) for 30 seconds or less, then would bump it up again for about a minute or two before needing to slow again. The last several “slow downs” (numbers 12-14) lasted for 45 sec to a minute each, and boy, was I frustrated with my throbbing, burning calves. In all fairness to them, they did feel as though they were “shredding” with each step taken.

As discouraging as this all seemed, though, the highlight was finding a hill along my route which I promptly jogged up, seeing as my coaching program had called for an uphill and easy downhill section for yesterday’s run. I had passed this hill many times on my trek around the lake and streets of my neighborhood, pausing only long enough in my thoughts to wonder if I could do it. Well, I didn’t pause very long to think about it yesterday. In my mind’s eye it was seen as a challenge which I accepted gratefully, running headlong up its ascending blacktop, till I could run no more (this is where my calves really began rebelling). Reaching the summit and perilously close to stopping completely, I slowed, allowing my now “shredded” calves to breathe and release that lactic acid buildup in preparation for the easier descent along a gently sloping side street. I’m sure I released an audible groan when I reached the top of that hill, begging of myself the question, “What the heck did you do THAT for?” Or rather, my calves were asking that question. My mind was wickedly grinning (if that’s even possible for one’s mind to grin), pleased as punch that my body took on a steep hill and conquered it, however begrudgingly so.

Another run for the books, even though it was an “off” day for me. I was still glad to have done it, pleasantly reminding myself that I did more than some people did yesterday. I’m referring to those that choose channel-surfing as their go-to exercise routine and I will admit, once upon a time, I was a member of this elite club. One out of a staggering and incomprehensible number of members. For someone who was once in great shape, to have gained all this excess weight, makes me very uncomfortable and thus, I have taken the steps to regain control of my weight, pulling the reins of my health back in the right direction, attempting to steer clear of the high cholesterol, hypertensive (high BP-this isn’t an issue at the moment), diabetic and cardiac potholes in the road of life.

By this time you’re all probably wondering what the title means. I will tell you why the title is “Campfire in a Cup” in a moment. You see, last evening, a supper was planned (having been organized by a fellow friend/coworker) for my friend and coworker that I told you about in a previous blog post, Tina J. Her blog, titled Larry the Lymphoma, is a heartfelt, heart wrenching, true-to-life, brutally honest and refreshingly open account of her struggle to face, accept and deal with a diagnosis of lymphoma. There was a great turnout at one of our local restaurants, Montana’s to be exact, although not everyone could make it, which is normal seeing as we are all paramedics (someone has to hold down the fort and take care of the city). While we were awaiting the time to place our order, many of us ordered some drinks to start. It felt like I had my dessert first, as I ordered a drink called “The Toasted S’more” which literally tasted like a campfire in a cup. Not the ashy, smoky flavor of fire, but that ooey, gooey, sticky, sweet taste of S’mores, the ones we experienced around a campfire as children. Heck, I’d still go for a S’more or two now as an adult. Who doesn’t love fire-roasted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. Mmmmm….it was sooo delicious, in fact, I made our guest of honor have a sip and she promptly ordered one herself.

We had a lovely time, overstaying our welcome long after most of our crew had paid their bills and left. We talked about her diagnosis, prognosis, her infectious good-natured attitude and sense of humor, holistic healing, running, her blog, my blog, crafting, knitting and crocheting, the latter of which I cannot do and which she is more than happy to teach me. In return, I will attempt (if my teaching skills are adequate) to teach her to knit, as I’m sure she will be a receptive pupil. I can only hope I will be as receptive to the new skill of crocheting as I’m sure she will be to knitting. It was refreshing that none of us really spoke much about work. A little shop-talk is fine, but it’s no fun when you try to escape work to enjoy a fun night out, only to turn around and have the conversation dominated by it.

As for my Campfire in a Cup, it was amazingly delicious and well-deserved, seeing as I did get in a run distance of 4.17K, despite the frustrations along the way. The drink, subsequent meal and refreshing conversation made what I felt to be a discouraging run, less so.

Thanks for checking in…for now, I must log in to Nike+ to see what is in store for tonight’s run. Then, it’s back to work tomorrow.

PS: I told Tina to use the title for her blog last evening, hope she doesn’t mind that I’m naming this post the same, as a toast to her, the great evening with friends and our Toasted S’more, more affectionately known as, Campfire in a Cup.

Autumn Crisp

This time of year has to be one of my favorite times to run. Cool, crisp mornings, frosty evenings, clean-smelling air…very invigorating. The cooler climate seems to give me a boost, kickstarting my motivation and revving up my energy levels.

To run is not only healthy for the body, but also for the health of the mind. I like to run in the evening, after supper has had a chance to “go down” and there’s no danger of getting a stitch in the side. For me, running at night is very exhilarating. It helps to clear my mind of the day’s clutter, leaving me feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated. Hard to imagine that a run can leave you feeling relaxed, but it does. While running, you are in the moment, excited energy coursing through your veins as you work towards your next goal, however big or small it may be. When you finish the cool down, stretch and shower, you feel rested, relaxed and sleep much more soundly.

The foliage is so beautiful this time of year. I do love an early morning run through the wooded trails of our local parks, each footfall bringing with it a satisfying “crunch” as you pass over the fallen leaves. That sound and feeling still brings a smile to my face and takes me back to my childhood. I think I will always love running through the leaves. Who doesn’t?

Last year, I went running all through fall and winter, having had to buy some slip-on grips to improve my traction in the snow. Running became my solace and comfort after suffering the loss of my cherished grandmother last November. I ran for her, and I know she “ran” with me, watching over me, giving me the strength to cope with her passing. Running got me through the rough winter months that followed, enabling me to heal. The wound is still there, but not as deep or raw as it was initially, thanks to the strength and love of family, but also many thanks to running.

This time of year is one of much reflection for me as well as the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Remembrance, giving and receiving, life and love, friends and family. Running keeps my mind clear even when the holidays tend to muddle it up with party ideas, gift suggestions and never-ending to-do lists!!

I love running and it’s very much a part of my life…again. The main thing I have to do is keep the motivational spark lit and the fire of desire, for a healthier body, burning!

I foresee a running partner in my future as a form of motivation for us both. Until then, I will work on my pace and channel my inner chi to improve my running form. So far, I’m enjoying the book “Chi Running”….stay tuned for more pave-pounding action!

Programming Error

Guess I should reread my last blog post…I recall very faintly, something about….motivation, maybe??   Man, have I ever hit a mega-pothole in my running life!  It’s more like a pit…I’ve fallen into a bloody PIT!!  But, I will climb out, dust myself off and move along as if nothing ever happened.  After all, it is in the past and there’s nothing I can do to change it now,  but I can still alter the future.

I think it’s been a combination of things that have set me back a week and a half…I did injure my wrist at work, but that aside, the weather has been a real downer, not to mention I just didn’t feel energized overall.   I’ve had to tweak my eating habits to get more beneficial foods into me so I may increase my energy levels.  Today, the sun is shining and I’m feeling better.  Even did some housecleaning yesterday which improved my mood.  And I tried Aqua-Fit exercise for the first time yesterday which was great and it felt good just to get out and move!  It was not hard on the wrist at all, which was a big plus.

Today I have some small errands to run and a little more housework before supper, then I will head out for a run this evening!!!  I have to for the sake of my body and mind!  It’s a great stress-buster and it is relaxing on the mind, even though it’s physically exerting on the body.  I always feel so relaxed mentally after a run and within a few minutes, my body cools down and follows suit.  One warm shower later and I’m ready to curl up with a good book and a protein shake!  Gotta rebuild with protein!

Alright, I’m off to face the rest of the day and hope to stay motivated by this evening.  We all need a motivational boost every now and again…I obviously needed a bigger boost as of late…but I’m not giving up….I’m going to pound the pave tonight!  Time to fix that mental programming error!!!

Until next time….keep running!

Motivational Slump…Happens to the best of us!

Alright, alright…I said I wouldn’t do it, but I did.  I slacked off and found excuses not to run for the past 3 days!  I blamed it on the weather, my lack of energy and get this one:  I blamed it on my wrist, which I hurt while at work on Aug. 1.  Of ALL things to blame it on, my WRIST???  Since when do we run on our hands??  Wow, do I EVER need that proverbial kick in the a** to get back out there!  I have promised myself, however, that I will get out for a run later today because I truly do feel better afterwards.

It is hard when faced with the idea to run or not to run, to try to tell that tired body of yours to move, get up off the couch, put the remote (or PS3 controller) down, lay off the chips/pop/chocolate/ice cream and get out there and pound the pavement!  Run till you feel your legs burning, your lungs screaming for more oxygen, pump harder and harder till you reach your goal, whether it be to run for a solid minute, or to run an entire mile before you slow to a walk again!  It can be a small goal or a larger one, so long as it’s attainable for you at whatever stage of the game you’re currently at.  What I mean by this is, although it is great to aim for the sky, try having a multitude of smaller goals along the way to help guide you towards your ultimate goal, whatever that may be.  My ultimate goals are to lose about 50 lbs of fat, tone up my muscle and become a runner so that I may someday run a half and full marathon.  In order to achieve this, I have set smaller goals for myself to help me continue along on my journey.

Will there be bumps along the way?  Sure there will be…how many roads have we been on in life that have no potholes or speedbumps?  We will ALL be faced with personal speedbumps at some point or other along the way.  It’s how we handle these bumps which enable us to continue along the same route, or perhaps, find an alternate route.  The main thing is to pick ourselves back up from whatever emotional, physical or mental slump we might be in and get back out there.  Finding an alternate route might mean to you that instead of running for physical fitness, you choose another exercise.  For you, maybe your speedbump is like that of a friend of mine who used to run everywhere and everyday!  After suffering a knee injury (her speedbump), she now bikes for fitness and still walks a lot too.  Did she give up? No!  She took the time needed to heal, which is VERY important, then just took a step back, sized up the two forks in the road, and chose the one that would better suit her healing knee.

So, we dust off and continue on our way to fitness…we start small by stumbling through our first mile, gasping for breath, the brain screaming that our legs hurt and we must stop, but it’s mind over matter..we can retrain that brain to think positive, block out the burning in the legs, push harder and gradually our baby steps become giant leaps forward and before you know it, we’ve reached our first of many goals!  I have surpassed a few goals already….I can run almost 2 miles without stopping and this past New Year’s Day, I ran my first 5K run called the Resolution Run.  I had set a personal goal of 45 minutes, since I knew at some point I would have to walk a little.  I had not run for about 2 mths leading up to the Jan. 1 date, but still wanted to partake in this event.  Well, I surpassed my own expectations and finished the 5K in 39min and 34sec!!  I was so pleased that I vowed to continue running and bettering my time…but….the motivational slump occurred….and after being sick for a week and taking that week off running, well, let’s just say that I’m finally back now!  I seriously can’t let that happen again as it’s so much harder to convince your body to get back out there and it physically hurts to start over yet again.

As for me, I’ll be keeping you apprised of how fast I’m reaching my smaller goals and will attempt to keep the motivation high.  Until then, keep pounding the pavement, have fun and remember, set smaller, more attainable goals at first, which helps keep the motivation running on high octane!