Inspiration...

Recently, when reading some posts on social media I came across a statement that someone made in regards to announcing workouts. This individual claimed that they did their workouts for themselves and not for anyone else and didn't need the pat on the back like others did. As someone who does post their workouts and athletic accomplishments online this bothered me a bit.

Others told me to just let it go but I continued to think about. I asked myself why did I post these things? And after I asked myself I also asked a few friends, who also post about their workouts, why they did it? And this is what I came up with; I post what I love. If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even Snapchat you will know that I love the Red Sox and Patriots! I cheer loudly for the Ithaca College Bombers and the Syracuse Orange! And I love to swim, bike and run so I want to share that too.

I have friends that post pictures about their family and children and I love to see those. Others, post pictures from their vacations or other adventures and I live vicariously through them. Finally some post pictures of the meals they are about to eat...whatever floats you boat. What I am trying to say is when I post my workouts I am sharing with you what I love.

I am proud of my accomplishments and the goals I have achieved and if I can inspire one person to go for a walk, a run or take one extra step then I am happy. I think I cheer on others as much as I post about myself. One of my best friends Stacy, posts every morning when she finishes her workout in Colorado. Her alarm goes off before 5 AM and she heads to the gym with her friends. They support and encourage each other and as I read her posts daily, she inspired me to get out of bed early and get my workouts done. I am happy to say I have finally created that habit and I love my morning workouts! Thank you Stacy!

I also follow a running group on Twitter, @Therunchat, that has a twitter chat every Sunday. On this chat members answer and ask questions about running, training and competing. I joined this chat at the end of 2016 and I look forward to it every Sunday. I also follow a group on Facebook called LUNAR, (lace up now and run) and this group posts their running and training accomplishments and as members we encourage and support. Other members inspire me to push a bit harder and to be better. It's not always about wanting a pat on the back!

I am going to end this post with a shout out to a few of my friends who have achieved some accomplishments this weekend that need to be praised:

1. My friend Emily who taught her first spin class this week. She passed her certification and is ready to lead other spinning enthusiasts (she is also training for her second Ironman)!
2. My friends Cheryl and Mary who both competed in the 2017 World Snowshoe Championship in Saranac Lake, NY... yes there is such a thing!!
3. My other friend Emily who completed her first half marathon at the Disney Princess Half in Florida! So proud of you Emily!!
4. My friend Dawn who completed her 23rd Marathon and the 5th of the 6 world major marathons in Tokyo, Japan. She has only London left to complete in April. This weekend her goal was to run a sub 3:15 and she completed it in 3:09...I am so inspired!!

Keep moving ... Keep inspiring!!

10 miles in the Windy City and other Updates

10 Miles in the Windy City

I actually started this post a week ago. I was traveling for work in Chicago and I think I was writing this entry to distract myself while I was watching the Super Bowl. I am a die hard Patriots fan and the first 3/4 of that game had me on edge and filled with anxiety. Now I never lost faith in my team but I certainly wasn't enjoying the game.

Last weekend was a beautiful day in Chicago. It was unusually warm. I had flown to the city,  very early Sunday morning, for a few days in order to meet with some Alumni from Ithaca College and host an alumni event. However, my coach also scheduled a 9.5 mile run and your can't stop your life just because of work travel; also known as work life balance.

I love this city along the great lake, it invigorates me! The Windy City doesn't intimidate me! So when I looked at my schedule and saw that I had 9.5 miles to run I was excited and looking forward to completing it I spent some time mapping out my route...in which direction should I go run along the river; go along the lake or run through Millennium Park? I decided that this run would cover it all.

In the past I would have faced this distance with fear. I certainly wouldn't have planned a run like this while traveling. In the last 6+ months my life has changed and facing workouts like this have become adventures. The run went very well and instead of completing 9.5 miles I ran 10 miles and was ready to watch the Super Bowl when it was done!!

The rest of the week was filled with recovery runs, time in the saddle (cycling) and a much needed swim. One particular workout this week challenged me, terrified me, and inspired me. I was challenged to do a timed 2 mile run. I had to run it faster than a 5k race pace. I had to planned to do this workout on Thursday morning on an outdoor track. Well you know what they say, the best laid plans...I woke up and the snow was falling, it was windy and cold and this would mean that the track would be covered too.

I jumped on the bike to get moving and thought the snow has to stop at some point. After work I went to a bike bath in town, that surprisingly was plowed better than some of the roads. It was 15 degrees and very dark out but I had to get it done. When I completed the test I had run the 2 miles in 21.23 which comes out to be less than an 11 minute mile on average. I don't know if I was fast that day or the fact that it was so cold and a bit creepy where I was running by myself that made me run faster? All I know that in 5 weeks I will have to do it again and hopefully it will be a bit warmer, brighter and less snow and ice!

On another note...I have checked the scale a few times this week. The digital box of numbers doesn't seem to want to move. I feel like I am on a plateau. However, even though the scale doesn't want to move I went shopping this week and I ended up in a smaller size...another size down. I have to admit I did a little dance in the dressing room!! Non scale victories!!

Continuing my new journey...