Exercise Lately

Hello! Did you miss my LA vacation recaps?

• We Arrived!
• LA - Day 2
• LA - Day 3 (Turkish Dinner Party)
• LA - Day 4 (Tide Pools and Spaetzle)
• LA - Day 5 (Ira and Venice)
• LA - Day 6 (Beachin' and Hikin')
• LA - Day 7 (Last Day in CA)

I can't believe it's April! Whenever a new month starts, I'm always a little shocked, but March seemed to slip by incredibly quickly this year. Something that makes me incredibly anxious about this is that the Lincoln Half Marathon is on May 2nd. I had such an incredible time running this race last year!

I kept saying that I was intending to run this race again this year, but I felt myself dreading training for it. I tried making training plans no less than 3 times, but I never made it past the first week. I'm not sure what it was, but the idea of pushing myself to run a certain number of miles, at a certain pace, for a certain number of days each week just started to feel unbearable! Maybe I was still carrying around the pain of marathon training? Maybe I took too much time off for my injury? Maybe I was afraid of how much work I would have to do to get into half-marathon racing shape again?

The weeks started ticking by and I felt myself getting less and less optimistic about being prepared for this race. While I was on vacation, I realized how much I liked being active in ways other that running - and with no pressure. All of a sudden I remembered that exercising can be fun and stress-free! I knew this is what I wanted. If staying fit is a life-long goal of mine, I better not be miserable while I do it! That's a sure way to set myself up for failure.

This morning I was trying to decide if I was ready to finally leave the idea of running the 2010 Lincoln Half Marathon behind. I knew I wanted to be rid of the guilt I feel every day that goes by that I don't train for this race. But I can also remember how much fun I had and how proud I was last year! However, I knew that in order to get in shape in time, April would be pretty miserable for me. And that's not what running should be like. The weather is so nice lately, and I should be enjoying my time in it!

So I went to the Lincoln Marathon website (to torture myself??) and low and behold...the race is sold out!! As much as I need to learn how to make these kind of decisions on my own, I was secretly happy to have such an easy out. Plus, my relief pretty much showed me what I truly wanted.

So what does this mean for me? I'm definitely not finished with racing! I need to learn how to motivate myself to train without guilt. I need to set goals that I'm excited about, and carry that excitement throughout my training. There is a 5K in May that I'd like to do...maybe a new PR?? Also, I am looking into joining a running group and/or training clinic. Last fall I did all of my marathon training runs by myself. I think it will be so much more enjoyable (and encouraging!) to train with other people who have similar goals. I'm really excited about this!

I am going to continue to search out ways to be active that are fun, exciting, and challenging. I've found ways to continue the fun I had on vacation this week at home.

• I walked to and from work each day (1 mile each way)

• I walked/ran and played catch with my family at the park on Wednesday

• I went on a 12 mile bike ride with Katie on Thursday

• I went on a 3 mile run around my neighborhood on Friday

• I went on a 5.5 mile hike with my sister on Saturday

It feels great to look back on this week to see I did so much without feeling like I 'had' to do any of it! This is was it should be like - and I hope to keep it up.

What motivates you to exercise? Reaching a new goal? Trying something new? Having fun? Guilt?