fitness update: early august 2016

Hello cool people! Let’s chat about fitness. Although I am posting this on a day other than “Marathon Monday” or even “Motivation Monday,” I feel the itch to sort of bookmark some fitness plans and progress. Blogging schedules are a bit out the window lately, ha.

Overall I feel so amazing, bodily and emotionally. If I had to sum all of it up in one word, that word would be “balanced.” But let’s use more than one word. That’s more fun.

So much good news! My sprained ankle is fully healed. My knees have not been tender for weeks. Those stitches are removed from my pinky, all healed. My actual weight seems to be fluctuating a little still, between 1-8 pounds week to week or even day to day, but no worries. Physically I am strong and flexible and brimming with energy. I always wake up feeling able to do literally anything that comes to mind, and come to think of it my mind is more settled than ever. I feel so much gratitude for my health and general fitness, without those normally attendant “how do I look in these jeans” side notes. It’s a great place to be. I love my life so much, from all the cool stuff I get to do to what I choose to eat, but mostly for the people in it and every wonderful thing in the middle. Being skinny is so much less important to me than all this joy; and somehow, because the Universe is so good, all of these patterns are gifting me quite a deep well of vibrant health. If I slim down naturally in the process, so be it. If not, let’s keep carpe-ing the diems anyway!

To capitalize on all of this positive energy, I am working on creating some equally positive inertia. With my gaze set lightly on a full marathon the weekend before Thanksgiving (no commitment quite yet), I have started an 18-week training program. It feels so great to build consistency. Here is how the very beginning of this cycle has gone:

Week One: Total mileage this week was 21 miles. My “easy and sustainable” pace is improving, lately around 9 minutes per mile. This pace might not be anything impressive to you, but for me, after so much time off and compared to when I was first running, this is wonderful. Sometimes I run slower, and often I get silly and run sprints much faster; but that is just to play around. Most miles fall pretty close to 9 minutes, and as the weeks pass of course mileage will increase. Yay for building endurance again! The best thing I noticed in week one is that mentally I feel more refreshed than I have in a while. I finally smile a lot more while running! 

Week Two: I spent most of last week prepping for and then enjoying a luscious trip to Colorado with Jocelyn. I did manage to grab an easy run here and there, we went on two uniquely challenging hikes together, and I stretched plenty. It was a deeply loving little getaway for which I am so grateful. (I’m really proud of her healthy lifestyle and steady mind, too.) My nutrition was good while there, including all the rice-and-bread heavy Nepalese food she thrusted into my hungry, grateful face, ha. It was all spicy and delicious. I ended week two with 20.5 comfortable miles and felt both invigorated and sore the day after flying home. Very good. Very good indeed.

Week Three: Back at the farm now, I am still on track with the plan. I grabbed three miles yesterday and five miles today, both runs around our back field, and just enjoyed being home. I sweated like a tropical beast in the Oklahoma humidity and at the top of each happy lap drank up the sight of our green, glassy pond. Since Handsome is also tying to eat well (healthfully, not starvation-aly) it’s been pretty easy to stay on track with nutrition. I feel great. The rest of the week has me running just 3, 5, & 6 miles, with some cross training mixed in. My favorite cross training to do at home is barre. I just find videos on You Tube so far. And of course staying caught up around the farm is helping me stay active and flexible, do some strength work, etc. Happy, healthy life, right? It’s wonderful to sit down less and less and to keep up with projects at the same time.

So that’s how things are progressing. Nicely, I think. To feel so well balanced in my mind and body is a pretty happy evolution. Looking forward it’s fun to imagine what changes I might notice over the coming 16 weeks as the marathon approaches. 

How are things for you? Can you relate to this idea about enjoying a healthy lifestyle? Do you have any new goals or plans in place? I would love to hear. 

“The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy.”
~Kenneth H. Cooper
XOXOXOXO