bodyprojectfitness

Am I a ‘runner’ now? Hmmm…

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

Today I had the opportunity to run in The Perfect 10 Miler (such a great message celebrating Women – “a chance to celebrate who you are inside and out – raising awareness of a positive self-image!”) first ever Bosom Buddy Relay! Each runner runs 5 miles – either first leg or second leg.  I had originally signed up for the 10 miles but with my new job – I knew early on that I just wasn’t going to get all the training in that I needed.  Through a friend I was able to find a buddy – we met for the first time this morning.  She opted to go first – and it was probably better – she is a little bit faster than me.

And then it was hurry up and wait for the tracker hand-off (due to traffic in the park needed to be there around 6:30 am – I live about 5 minutes from the park – so much for being able to get to a race a little later).  I think in the end there were about 50+ of us in the hand-off area.  We warmed up as a group and then the anticipation of looking for our runner.  It had been raining earlier in the morning but around the start of the race it had stopped – but then when I started – it started raining – a light rain and it stopped before I got to my first mile marker.  All in all it was a great day for a race (except the music in my app stopped playing so I heard one song and ran the 5 miles without music – a first for me).  With all the waiting I did like the fact that when I started running – it wasn’t part of a large pack – I could run my race.  I finished my 5.04 miles in 1:09:14 or a 13:43 minute pace (better than any of my training paces)!!  As a team we came in for our 10 miles at 2:09:09 or a 12:55 minute pace!  It was so great having my My BP Sisters cheering me on right before that final .4 and at the finish line (and I came in sprinting)!  It was also great cheering on some of my fellow sisters.  What an accomplishment by ALL!!!

Finisher Medal!!!

Finisher Medal!!!

 

So back to the title of this post – Am I a Runner?  And I think I may have to start saying I am – I realized today that I have completed Cupid’s Chase (Feb15 – a 5K), The Philly Love Run (Mar15 – 13.1), Hair of the Dog (May15 – 5K) and The Perfect10Miler (Oct15 – Bosom Buddy 5 Mile Relay) (and the year isn’t over yet!!!).  The first words out of my mouth was – ‘Holy Crap!’  This girl who has been proud to say she is a NON-Runner – may have to admit I am a runner.  I am not a fan of training, I’m anxious the night before and anxious the day of the race – but once I start I do enjoy it (I think).  Although I do prefer running in cooler temps (the Hair of the Dog almost turned me off running – it was too humid).

I’ll leave you with this quote from The Perfect 10 Miler – “I Try and Fail, But Never Fail to Try.  And That is Why I’m a PERFECT 10!”

Sense of Purpose

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

This past week during our spring transformation instead of posting our week 4 goal – we were asked what is our purpose (The ask of us is in bold from our BodyProject Fitness Spring Transformation).

When things get tough…when you want to give up…when you don’t feel like waking up or just want to go home after a long day instead of taking time to exercise…when you feel too tired to prepare for the next day…WHAT WILL KEEP YOU GOING?

  • Is it your kids?
  • Your husband? A loved one who inspires you?
  • Feeling like the most amazing version of yourself?
  • Is it happiness? A sense of accomplishment?

Of course, as I was thinking of what to write – this song popped into my head…so I had to find it on youtube – enjoy!  Anyone else remember this or did I just clearly show my age?

Back to the question and my answer (and I’ve expanded it):

What a great way to change it up on us in week 4.  I started this journey (quite a few years ago) as a way to get in shape and lose weight.  And then my body revolted and I gained weight.  And quite frankly everything went wrong.  Maybe – just maybe it was supposed to happen this way as I had to deal with the very controlling muscle that sits on my shoulders.  There were many moments of frustration but I kept coming back.  

In May 2012, I started seeing a nutritionist – which turned out to be my X factor in the weight management area.  I still have a ways to go – but I’m heading in the right direction.  We just made some adjustments this passed week and I’m seeing some positive results already (and I really needed that as I’ve been struggling since December and was losing my patience :-))/

I finally had my ‘aha’ moment in the fall – finally finding that balance between eating and my workouts (that I actually missed my workouts when I didn’t go).  This has always been about me and I find that if I don’t make it to BP – it not only impacts me but it impacts everyone around me.  A perfect example, I’d had an extremely stressful week at work awhile back – I’d missed 3 days of workouts to boot – and finally on Thursday morning I decided to take an early lunch and get in a yoga class.  It was the best decision I had made all week – I was back in balance!

I’ve become an advocate for my friends and co-workers that it is OK to take care of ourselves (get rid of the guilt) – if we do that – the rest kind of takes care of itself – becoming the best version of me (that continues to evolve through this journey)!