Starting 2026 Right

 

I have been more active in the past week than I have been in a while. On New Years Day, Chad and I went to the local state park and walked the trail across the dam and back. It was about 2.5 miles, and it wore me out. A few days later, we went to a Colorado Mammoth game and had to park fairly far back (most people do), so we had to walk quickly into the stadium. It was chilly after, so I quickly walked back to the car. The lower half of my body was so sore that I struggled to sleep that night. The way my body reacted to these perfectly normal events was incredibly discouraging and made me double think my goal of running a 10K on Memorial Day. Is there even a chance for me to get in shape enough to reach this goal? Yes. I just need to put in the effort. 

I am doing a few things to reach this goal. First, I am tracking my steps and increasing my step count goals. This week, my goal is embarrassingly small, but it is actually higher than my average since I have been working from home. I am not going to look back at where I was in 2019 when I was working in an office. I am going to look and what I can and am accomplishing. Right now, my goal is to hit at least 3,000 steps a day. It will go up to 4,000 steps next week, 5,000 the following week, and so on until I am comfortable with a step goal that both challenges me and is not so high that it is impossible. Second, I am getting to the gym to do strength training and go on the treadmill or elliptical. I would prefer to run/walk on the treadmill, but if they are all taken as they were yesterday, I will do speed drills on the elliptical (one of the preloaded options available). I believe that doing these things consistently, I will become a stronger runner and may possible do better than I did before I started getting injured. Could I possibly have less injuries, too? One can only hope. 

The speed drill I did yesterday were fun. I started with a 3-minute warm up followed by intervals of 30 second sprints and 90 second cool downs. There were 8 intervals. The first two were at a 3 resistance setting, the next two were at a 4, and the last two were at a 6. During each sprint, the machine measure my "sweat score." The higher the number the better. The goal was to get a higher score each time. I was successful until the last one. At the end, I felt like I had a good work out. 

Trying Another Thing Again

How many times have I started and failed fitness or weight loss challenges? I think I have lost count. Sometimes I get injured. Sometimes I lose interest. Sometimes I choose challenges that I don't actually have time to do. I can change this. 

I have decided that I am going to train for and run the Bolder Boulder in 2026. I loved running at one time. I stopped because I kept getting injured. First, I twisted my hip. Then, I had a calf strain. More recently, I ended up with Achilles tendonitis. This one has been harder to heal from than the previous injuries. My doctor told me I should keep running with this tendonitis, so I'm going to try to do that. I am using the same app that I used when I started running in 2018. I liked using it at the time, and I know that it will take me through a smart progression considering I haven't consistently run for quite a long time. 

Why have I decided to run again? Chad liked running with me and considered us running the Bolder Bulder an important tradition. I didn't know this until about a month or two ago. When he first mentioned it, I tried to convince him that we could make something else like camping, but I didn't understand just how important this specific activity was to him. I also have wanted to get back into running because I love the feeling of running. It is something I'm not completely explain. There is really nothing like it! I want to get that feeling back!

75 Medium - Week 1

This last week, Chad and I started our physical/mental fitness challenges. He is doing the 75 Hard Challenge and making sure to adhere to all of the rules. I am doing the 75 Medium Challenge which is not as strict but still a challenge. The rules I'm following are:

• Track all food eaten each day, stay under 1800 calories 
• Do at least 45 minutes per day of exercise 
• Drink at least 100 ounces of water per day
• Read at least 10 pages of any book each day 
• Take a progress picture once a week

So far, it is going well. The hardest past is the 10 pages of reading because I keep putting it off until the end of the day. I have fallen asleep more than once. Making sure to get in enough exercise isn't too hard, but it is a bit tricky when I work in the temple after work. Last Tuesday, I walked 3 times for 15 minutes. I think I'm going to have to do it that way each time. I don't know how else to fit it in. The rest is a bit easier. 

I know I need to make changes in my life. I am the heaviest I have ever been. Not trying because I don't want my clothes to get too big is stupid. At the rate I'm going, everything people have bought me this summer for graduation and birthday will be too small by the end of the year. My hope is that by doing this challenge, I will have new, healthier habits that will continue through the foreseeable future.

My Odd Dilemma

 I have been struggling with what may or may not be a strange dilemma. I want to lose weight. I hate the way I look in pictures, and I am close to the largest I have ever been. I have a plan to once again start the 75 Medium challenge after I get back from my trip for graduation. (Chad will be starting the 75 Hard challenge again, but I don't think my body can take two 45 minutes workouts a day right now.) It would be wonderful to prove to myself that I can take control of my eating and exercise habits, and my hope is that it would be something I can keep up with for years to come. (The past has proven otherwise, but I would like to give this a try.)

So what is my dilemma? I just bought a few new dresses and stuff for the cruise I went on a week ago. I like these dresses and want to still be able to wear them. One of the dresses is already a bit too big and needs to be slightly altered on top. If I start losing weight, will I have to completely give up this dress that I just bought and like. The other dress is more like a t-shirt dress, so I will probably still be able to wear it if it is too big at least as a swimsuit cover up or pajamas. Some of the other clothes that I bought would have to be replaced. This has been a reason for me to sabotage my efforts to lose weight in the past. 

Even though these are the thoughts that are in my head as I think about doing this challenge, I will try it. I have about 4 weeks to try to rid myself of these self-sabotaging thoughts, and I will do my best to do so. 

Yoga Streak Day 3

 Today, I tried the yoga program that Chad has been doing and recommended to me. Since it is focused on the lower body, I can give my arm a rest. 

I liked the flow I did today. The only problem I had with this video was that Scott Jurek chimed it way too much which took away from the relaxation element of yoga that I love so much. 

I will probably follow this series until the end knowing that he will continue to annoy me just to let myself heal. I will also look for her name on more workouts. 

Yoga Streak Day 1

 

Chad and I have decided to try a yoga streak until the end of the year. I have been looking for ways to get back into a regular exercise routine in which I will not hurt my ancle or arm, and he likes exercise streaks. 

Today was the first day. I did an energetic flow with Molly on Apple Fitness+. (I will most likely use this app every day.) I liked this one. I did poses I had not even heard of before and am still not sure I did them correctly. Since I have dealing with a bit of tendonitis in my elbow for a bit, I tried to choose one that worked mostly the lower body. I was successful for the most part. I did have to do downward facing dog a few times which did not feel good on that one arm. Other than that, I liked the slightly faster pace of this flow and learning new things. Hopefully, I can continue to find enjoyable routines. 

2.23 Mile Run With Chad

 

I did not plan to go running today. I was going to do some kind of strength work, but Chad wanted me to run “with” him. I honestly don’t like going with other people because I always get left behind feeling like a failure. I’ll do it when he or my daughter ask, though, because I want them to be happy. So, at the end of an overwhelming work day instead of knitting and unwinding, I changed into my running gear and went with Chad. It felt good to get a better time than I have in a while. Tomorrow, maybe I can do the workout I planned for today. 

Turkey Trot Day

 

We did it! Chad, Noel, and I completed the Loveland Turkey Trot. Chad went ahead of us pretty much as soon as we started. That was to be expected since he has kept up with his training. Noel stayed back with me since she hasn’t ran much since our August 5k and I haven’t run in a few weeks. I actually got a better time than I would have without her because I had to walk faster than I usually do just to keep up with her. She ended up ditching me for the last quarter mile. I gave it all I had for about that length as well. Overall, I’m happy with my performance. Now, on to next week’s 5k, the ColderBolder.