Markemmanuel

Last night, I did my first abdominal workout in six years.  It kicked my ass.  I have a long way to go.  I assembled almost all the tools I need to get a fit and healthy body.  I have no more excuses.  It is all up to me now.

I finally signed up for a gym membership for days that are too cold or messy to run in. My neighborhood is simply not suited for running.  It gives me access to training space and free weights I lack at home.  It’s not a huge gym with a pool or an indoor track.  The equipment is new.  The staff is friendly.  That’s all I need.

Working in retail provides a lot of time to train.  It gives an opportunity to schedule two workouts a day.  With all this free time, I need to stay on top of my schedule.  It’s a great opportunity that shouldn’t be squandered.  I need to build a consistent routine and habits.

Tracking my nutrition (or lack thereof) and my training in my journal helps me stay on top of things.  I monitor everything I’m doing.  It reminds me to stay the schedule and plan I created.  It tells me what I have to work on and where I cheated. I noticed that my diet improves when I keep a journal.  Less junk food is inhaled.  My caloric intake is evened out. Writing down what I did in training helps me figure me out.  I write down when I went to bed and woke up, the time of the workout, how I felt, and what I did.  Reading previous entries spurs me to get out and workout on days I don’t feel like it.

The last two tools I want to acquire but can live without is a heart rate monitor and training buddies.  Both provides data points to measure my training.  Both will tell me to push my body beyond what my mind is telling it to do.  Training buddies would keep me accountable they are a nice social boost.  I don’t want to rely on them because it takes a special training partner to stick with you throughout the training season.  I’m really the only one in my circle that has specific goals set.  To keep me accountable, I have this web journal and my training journal.  The heart rate monitor is a great tool to have.  I don’t have to rely on how I feel to do intervals.  The mind plays tricks on me when I push myself out of my comfort zone.  Self doubt, fear, and negative talk creep in.  The body is ready and capable.  The mind holds the body back.

I have all the tools I need to be successful.  It’s time to use them.  The abs workouts will be easier.  I will eventually run faster.  No more excuses.

I don’t know what makes me so excited about running the Frozen Turkey 5k.  I know I won’t be running a PR  because it’s four days after Philly Marathon.  The brown blue and white logo is pretty rockin’.  The race is like most Turkey Day races where proceeds go to a food bank and us runners can donate non-perishable foods.

I’m excited to run this because it’s hard to resist Turkey Day food.  Keeping a food journal doesn’t work for me with all the temptation. To keep accountable on Thanksgiving, I registered for this  short Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day morning and doing an easy jog before heading to my family party. It’s going to give me a little leeway at the Thanksgiving Day feast I’ll be attending.

I look forward to running a race the organizers hope to turn into a Thanksgiving tradition in Buffalo Grove, IL.  It’s a chip timed race running through the neighborhood I lived in as a child for two years.   I’ll have an opportunity to visit my old house, the playground I used to play in, and the church my brother was baptized in.

Is running a Turkey Trot a yearly tradition for you?  What are you doing to be accountable for you health and training?