That's the last entry in this blog. I actually had to go back and read all the previous posts to remember where along the journey I was 8 months ago. A whole Summer, Fall and Winter have passed, but the good news is, I'm still on my journey!
A lot has happened in my 30th year of life, but one thing has stayed consistent: I am focused and determined to find my way back to fitness!
My journey is far from over. I'm only 7.5 lbs lighter than when I started, but I've lost inches all across my body and more importantly I am fitter than I've been in over 3 years and that after all is my end goal: to be fit and healthy.
When I started this blog I could barely run 20 minutes, but that is a thing of the past. Just yesterday I completed the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC in 2hr and 24min at a 11:03 min/mile pace. While I am nowhere near the fastest runner, I am happy to say that THAT is a personal record!
Since my last post I've actually completed 3 half marathons (getting faster every time) and 1 sprint triathlon and I've got another sprint triathlon and possibly 2 olympic triathlons coming up in the next few months.
Races, it turns out, might not be for everyone, but they are definitely for me.
I'll never mingle with the pros and I don't ever plan on winning, but the motivation to beat your own time, challenge your own abilities and continuously push to new distances, is enough to get me in my running shoes, on a bike or in a pool at least 5 times a week. I am a triathlete and I love it...and cross training, it turns out, is for me the absolute best way to get in shape and remain injury-free.
It also doesn't hurt that my athletic husband has also recently embraced races and together we are now working towards our (half)-ironman goal. Nothing like your significant other to help you wake up for a run when it's 40 degrees out or hold you accountable when the training schedule says swim.
Today, post-half marathon I'm allowed a day of rest, because we all deserve (and need) at least one day of rest per week, but tomorrow, it's back to the training schedule, which these days looks something like this:
Mon
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Tue
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Wed
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Thu
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Fri
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Sat
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Sun
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rest
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swim/core
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swim/run
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bike/core
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yoga
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bike/run
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swim/bike
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45min
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60min
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45min
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60-90min
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60min
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60-90min
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It's a lot more intensive than when I started working out last June, but it's also a lot more focused on the goals I have in mind, starting with the Ladies' Choice Tri (400 yard swim, 8 mile bike and 2 mile run) which I'm trying to complete in as close to an hour as possible. I know that a sprint tri is far from the ironman distance and 7.5lbs is far from the 20-25 lbs I want to lose, but small attainable steps will eventually lead to big changes and for now I am enjoying every step of the journey!
