Run for Fun? Who Knew!

I've been on a plateau with my weight loss the past few months. You've probably noticed that number to the right of us hasn't been changed for quite a while. Dang it. After we had company visit in late July, I just found it more difficult to be disciplined and motivated. 

I didn't give completely up, mind you. I picked up a box of Mike and Ikes to read the calorie label before putting them back on the shelf. Did you know a box of those puppies has almost 800 calories?! I could easily put one of them away in a day! But I didn't...

While I haven't completely lost my willpower, I admit to not being as healthy as I want, either. I've been working a lot more this past month, which has made consistent workouts almost impossible. 

So when my friend, Jari, suggested that we begin training for a 5K coming up in December, I just laughed. Actually, I choked on a piece of chocolate while texting her back that she was crazy. I don't run for fun! I prefer to only run if it is with a basketball in my hands, or chasing a softball, or diving for a volleyball, or getting my butt kicked by Hubby in racquetball. I certainly have never entered a timed race before. I told her no. And then I thought about the benefits of running. And that it would help kick-start my weight loss goals and get me back on track. I couldn't come up with a legitimate reason to not participate in training for a 5K. I wrote her back to tell her I was in...and then she choked on a piece of chocolate out of pure shock.

Before we began training, we recruited people to join our team. We figured it would be great to have a full team to participate in the run, which is the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Jingle Bell Run on Saturday, December 17th in Glendale, Arizona. Our team presently consists of ten people total, nine ladies and one gentleman. Since we live all over the country and have weird working schedules, we are training on our own using a schedule from active.com. It includes instructions on how to train for your first 5K, which I found very motivational and helpful since I had no idea where to start.

Instead of the typical eight-week training program, our schedule lasts for ten weeks. It is a little more gradual, and the first week is just walking! Now that's my type of 5K training! We will have an extra three weeks after training to add endurance to our times before the race takes place in thirteen weeks. A 5K race is 3.1 miles, so it certainly isn't a marathon. But it will be 3.1 more miles than I've ever trained for in the past, so nothing bad can be said about that!

Today was Day One, and I just got home from the gym. It feels amazing! I even walked an extra five minutes at the brisk walking pace because I was feeling so good! I bought a new toy (thanks, Birthday Money) to help me track my progress...the Nike + iPod has a small sensor that tucks into my shoe while running and tracks distance, rate, calories burned, etc. on my iPod Touch. 

Since today is just our first day of training, it's not too late to join in on the fun, too! Let me know if you want to become a team member and be on our mailing list. People are even coming from out-of-state to run the race with us in December. Even if you can't run it in person, training will be a great experience. Can you imagine not gaining any weight during the holidays?!

I am so tickled for this whole process. I never thought I would say that about running!