The name is catchy, right? I mean Fitness February just sounds so much better than Fitness January. Which is why it is the perfect time to pick yourself up, shake the sleep from you eyes, and go for a run. Well, at least it is here in the D.R. where running in shorts and a t-shirt is not a problem (I can't speak for all of you back State-Side, since I know you are probably curling up with a cup of hot cocoa right now and seriously considering hibernating away the cold until about April.). ButI intend to take full advantage. And in addition, I've got some extra motivation......get excited for what I'm about to tell you..........I'm signing up for a 10K in the beautiful beach town of Las Terrenas!
Ok so maybe it's not THAT exciting, but I'm totally stoked for it. I've never run a 10K (6.2 miles...although this one happens to be a tad longer at 6.4 miles) before and I think it could be awesome. Also notice how this fits nicely into my previous goal of running more this year, which is just nifty now isn´t it?
Not to mention, I have a partner in crime and training buddy, Sydney (who I will now be referring to as Syd the Kid, because it sounds more badass), to help keep me on track.
And with just a little over a month (Exactly 4 weeks and 2 days) before the race, we don´t have any time to waste getting our tushies in tip top shape.
Now I should mention we had the option of running a 5K instead, and we hummed and hawed over our decision. Both of us feel we could comfortably complete a 5K, so it sounded like a safe route to go. And neither of us have ever ran a 10K before (I have done 2 half-marathons, but that was almost 2 years ago and I´m nowhere near being in shape to run that far now), which definitely puts us outside our comfort zone, especially with less than 6 weeks to train. But as Lynne (my coordinator from CIEE) likes to say, "When you are out of your comfort zone, you are in a learning zone." And what are we doing in this world if we aren't trying to learn something new? So 10K it is!
Here´s the training schedule:
Ok so maybe it's not THAT exciting, but I'm totally stoked for it. I've never run a 10K (6.2 miles...although this one happens to be a tad longer at 6.4 miles) before and I think it could be awesome. Also notice how this fits nicely into my previous goal of running more this year, which is just nifty now isn´t it?
Not to mention, I have a partner in crime and training buddy, Sydney (who I will now be referring to as Syd the Kid, because it sounds more badass), to help keep me on track.
And with just a little over a month (Exactly 4 weeks and 2 days) before the race, we don´t have any time to waste getting our tushies in tip top shape.
Now I should mention we had the option of running a 5K instead, and we hummed and hawed over our decision. Both of us feel we could comfortably complete a 5K, so it sounded like a safe route to go. And neither of us have ever ran a 10K before (I have done 2 half-marathons, but that was almost 2 years ago and I´m nowhere near being in shape to run that far now), which definitely puts us outside our comfort zone, especially with less than 6 weeks to train. But as Lynne (my coordinator from CIEE) likes to say, "When you are out of your comfort zone, you are in a learning zone." And what are we doing in this world if we aren't trying to learn something new? So 10K it is!
Here´s the training schedule:
Now we can't have Fitness February without talking about food however. With that being said, my focus for this next month is to reign in my diet (which lately may or may not have consisted of a few too many empanadas and lazy nights in which spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar constituted dinner).Now being a person whose idea of a perfect morning is lazing around Barnes and Noble with a latte and a stack of magazines or a few good books, and also being a person of a curious nature, especially when it comes to biology and health, and subsequently, nutrition, it's probably fair to say I´ve read my way around the diet world and back. And my overwhelming consensus: diets suck. Really, they truly do. Too many lists of foods you can't eat and its impossible to keep track of them all. It's overwhelming and restricting, and just down-right depressing. Which is why I like the idea of "clean eating." It's not a diet, it's just a healthy lifestyle that supports eating all-natural, unprocessed foods (i.e. anything that comes out of a can or box or with an ingredient on the label that you can't pronounce is a no-no), such as fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and small amounts of nuts and dairy. So I'll be taking advantage of the D.R.'s year round supply of amazing produce to pack my meals chock full of wholesome goodness (expect more cooking blog posts to come!) Things I will try to cut back on: added sugar, processed carbs (anything with enriched flour), all things fried (adios empanadas!), exceeding portion sizes, and late-night snacking (extremely guilty of the latter.)
Two things I absolutely refuse to give up: chocolate and wine. I'm not giving them up because I like them. And I'm not into deprivation. So they stay. Don't judge me :-p
Plus, if I follow the mantra "all things in moderation" they shouldn't be a problem. I'm also a fan of this chica's diet motto, which basically says that if you use portion control, and only eat when you are truly hungry, you can enjoy all the foods you love and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Two things I absolutely refuse to give up: chocolate and wine. I'm not giving them up because I like them. And I'm not into deprivation. So they stay. Don't judge me :-p
Plus, if I follow the mantra "all things in moderation" they shouldn't be a problem. I'm also a fan of this chica's diet motto, which basically says that if you use portion control, and only eat when you are truly hungry, you can enjoy all the foods you love and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.
So that's Fitness February in a nutshell. One month of trying to eat clean and one month of morning runs and exercise.
And what's the end result I'm looking for here? Well it took my a long time to learn this, but fitness cannot be measured by a number on a scale and happiness should not be directly correlated to your jean size. I'm not looking to reach a certain weight or drop a certain number of inches around my waist. What I'm wanting is to feel "springy."
Yeah, you know the feeling I'm talking about. The one where you feel light and energized and ready to conquer the word. That feeling of being nimble and quick and prepared to take on anything. Where you can just pop out of bed, and hit the ground running. Springy. Yep, that's what I'm looking for. And if I lose a pound or two and tone up a little in the process, awesome, but those are just the lovely side benefits of the overall springy effect I'm going for.
(P.S. I'd also like to run an average 9 minute mile for this upcoming race...but since its my first 10K I'm not going to worry over much about getting the perfect time)
So without further ado, here are a few pictures of my training process so far (Sydney and I actually started our running schedule together last week), along with my favorite motivational quotes.
And what's the end result I'm looking for here? Well it took my a long time to learn this, but fitness cannot be measured by a number on a scale and happiness should not be directly correlated to your jean size. I'm not looking to reach a certain weight or drop a certain number of inches around my waist. What I'm wanting is to feel "springy."
Yeah, you know the feeling I'm talking about. The one where you feel light and energized and ready to conquer the word. That feeling of being nimble and quick and prepared to take on anything. Where you can just pop out of bed, and hit the ground running. Springy. Yep, that's what I'm looking for. And if I lose a pound or two and tone up a little in the process, awesome, but those are just the lovely side benefits of the overall springy effect I'm going for.
(P.S. I'd also like to run an average 9 minute mile for this upcoming race...but since its my first 10K I'm not going to worry over much about getting the perfect time)
So without further ado, here are a few pictures of my training process so far (Sydney and I actually started our running schedule together last week), along with my favorite motivational quotes.
Getting ready for a sunrise run
And just so you know, I used pixler to give these pictures that cool vintage-y feel.
And just so you know, I used pixler to give these pictures that cool vintage-y feel.
A little pre-running stretch above and some pre-running motivation from the great Steve Prefontaine below.
Post workout stretch= best feeling ever.
Wish me luck, but more importantly, motivation and good decision making!
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