First day back in the fitness center

I used to belong to Ballys for a low monthly fee of $15 for the rest of my life. I hadn't been inside a Ballys in year but I kept the membership just in case. When my debit card was stolen, the pre-authorized payments ceased and given the subsequent sale to LA Fitness, I lost my lifetime membership. Where am I going with this? Well, as a student at DePaul, I am allowed to use their fitness center for a daily fee of $6, or a quarterly fee of $82, as long as I am a student.
I've been going to DePaul for over two years yet until today I never set foot inside the fitness center. I had decided to make a change in my life this year and the first step is rebuilding my strength and endurance. The fitness center is amazing with all of the latest equipment and fancy locker rooms and aquatic area.
I put my items in a locker and headed up to the cardio and weight machines. I settled in on a "gazelle-like" machine which I thought would be a easy lead into cardio. After about five minutes, I realized I was more out of shape than I thought. I decided to move to the weight machines to help rebuild my muscles. I spent 45 minutes using all of the machines and discovered I did not lose as much muscle mass as I had previously thought. Once I finished with weights, I went to use the elliptical machine facing the DePaul campus. After a mere 10 minutes at a 10:35 m/m pace, I realized that I probably shouldn't overdue it on my first day back.
I stopped by the grocery store on the way home and found that my usual cravings for brownies or any other sweets had diminished. I came home, took a nap for about 90 minutes and then took my dogs for a 45 minute walk. When I returned I made dinner and found I wasn't as hungry as I normally was. This exercise thing might have a positive effect on me after all. Taking the first step is always the hardest.




- Trying to shed my potato skin and find my inner skinny fry.

Getting Lucky...Again

This past weekend I participated in Team Ortho's Get Lucky 7k for the second consecutive year. As I have been working on a paper for school, I really hadn't trained for the race at all, but I figured it was only 4 miles and I should be able to complete it without too much trouble. What I did not anticipate was a cold front moving into Chicago the morning of the race.
Unfortunately the race was not the only thing I didn't prepare for. I forgot my gloves and did not wear the inserts for my shoes. As I crossed the start line my only goal was to finish with a sub 14 minute/mile. The first two miles went easily and I was on track with my pace. I stuck to my walk/run method and felt strong. At least until the start of mile three...
We turned and headed north along the lakefront and were faces with cold winds whipping off the lake and snow pelting our faces. This change in the weather proved tougher than I thought as my pace slowed to an 18 m/m pace.
While I was not proud of my time, I am proud that I finished. This race was what I needed to get myself back in gear. I have 65 days until the Soldier Field Ten Miler and I plan on actually training for this race. I am on my way to becoming the healthy person I want to be.



- Trying to shed my potato skin and find my inner skinny fry.

Starting over yet again

So here I go again, which is the title of an amazing book I read over the weekend by Jen Lancaster. But I digress...

I am starting my quest for health and wellness and towards my goal of completing a half marathon. I've let myself get distracted and overwhelmed by life lately. I have a paper due for school in two weeks and need to concentrate on that before beginning my training. I haven't really run since last November and will need to reinitiate myself to running slowly in order to prevent burnout and injuries.
I have a few friends that are runners and they are quite motivating. Plus, I graduate in June and would like to look less like Violet from the Willy Wonka movie and more like an older version of the woman I was in my twenties. I have a 7k race in two weeks which will indicate the start of my running season. I am going to be smart about my training and know that my eating habits need to change. The first step was the elimination of diet coke from my daily diet. This change has already manifested in the disappearance of gastrointestinal ailments.
Please join me as I start on my final journey to a healthier life. First up, my second running of Team Ortho's Get Lucky 7k on March 16th. Hoping to capture another bling for my collection.




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