23 Below

That's right.  Fargo, ND may just be the coldest place on the planet.

Or......it seems so, at least.  Maybe it's just the coldest place I've ever been.  I ask myself every day why I moved here.  Hopefully I'll be reminded again next summer when I'm sipping margharitas on the dock at the cabin.

The past few days have been somewhat of a reprieve for me and the gym.  We needed some time apart.  (Truth be told, I attribute my crappy workout on Monday to coming down with a cold--a couple days off can't hurt)  Today was my first day back and involved a relatively light day of cardio, with a little ab work.

But I digress...

...I meant to talk about the cold.  We're talking frozen-nosehairs-fingers-numb-in-seconds-can't-stop-coughing-my-car-won't-start cold.  For you Alaskan friends, think Fairbanks.  Then add wind.

I stopped at the grocery store after the gym today for a few essential items.  On the way back out to my car, I was struck by what must be one of the Top 10 Worst Jobs.  It's called grocery cart round-up.  The poor kid collecting carts must have had 10 layers of clothing on.  He still looked frozen.  Who the heck takes their cart to the parking lot this time of year, anyway?!?  There's a drive-up service for free...

Anyway, this got me thinking.  What are the Top 10 Worst Jobs?  Here are some thoughts.  Some of these make my picks look like dream jobs.  =)

Brie's Picks for Worst Jobs

• Mortician
• Debt collector
• Cart boy/girl in Fargo, ND

Thoughts?

Tough days, better nights

Picture this:  The day starts great.  You wake up fully energized, although you only got about 5 hours of sleep.  You spend the day tackling challenge after challenge.  Meals are planned carefully, eaten at the appropriate times, and you've been drinking water like it's going out of style.  You have a training plan, and you're set to check yet another "easy" workout off the calendar.

Then, it happens.

90 seconds into your run, you can't breathe.  You're sputtering on the treadmill, praying the guy three machines down has his headphones blaring.  Just when you catch a good breath, your calf cramps.  Then, a side ache kicks in.  6 minutes in and you--quite literally--think you're dying.  You think, "Why the hell would I do this to myself?!?"

Finally, you hit the mile mark.  On any normal day, this would have simply been a glance at a placemarker on your way to mile 3 or 4.  But today, you just can't seem to get it together.

Inevitably--I think--it happens to the best of us.  Today, I had a crappy run at the gym.  What was supposed to be an "easy" workout ended up thoroughly kicking me in the ass.  I hopped on a bike to finish up, feeling guilty every second.  Then, I had a personal training session.  Ab work, squats, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups......and the StairMaster (cue: Hallelujah chorus).

The inventor of the Stairmaster was clearly a masochist.  Only a truly sick person would think a perpetual stairway leading to nowhere would be a hit.  Yet, we athletes may be the mental ones.  Why do we keep insisting on climbing 60 flights of stairs just for the hell of it?!

I left the gym nearly two hours later feeling like a slacker......but then I remembered that only 12 weeks ago I couldn't even run for more than 2 minutes at a time.  I would have had an AMI if I would have done even half of what I accomplished today!!

So, take THAT gym!  I may not have run two miles (I did run one), but I still kicked your ass today.

How did you do?  Kick the StairMaster to the curb?  Show that medicine ball who's boss?  =)

Whatever you did, congratulations.  At least you did something active.  That's more than most people can say.

5k101 - COMPLETE!!!

Today, I finished my 5k101 training program!  Loosely, that means I completed:

• 8 weeks of running 3x per week
• Worked my way up from 2-min intervals to 30-minutes of continuous running
• Increased my average speed from 4.8 mph to 5.3 mph
• 5k in under 35 minutes!

CELEBRATION!!!

Tomorrow, I write a formal running plan to help me prepare for my first 5k and half-marathons in May.  But tonight, I celebrate being "officially" (according to Todd at RunningMate, anyway) a runner!

5k101 - Nearing Completion

The past three days, I've had grand aspirations of running every day, lifting weights...  Basically, counteracting all the wonderful New Year's libations (and remnants from Christmas).  However, plans changed.

Thursday afternoon turned Fargo/Moorhead into a blustery white blizzard.  Sub-zero temperatures.  Inches after inches of snow.  Way sub-zero wind chills.  White-out conditions.  All-in-all, the worst driving weather I have ever experienced--no exaggeration.

Needless to say, I did not go to the gym on Thursday night.  I barely made it to the grocery store.

Friday was New Year's Eve.  I woke up ready to bust out of my house from the stir-craziness.  Going out the door, I grabbed all the winter weather essentials: snow pants, heavy coat, fuzzy mittens, hat, scarf, snow shovel, boots, flashlight...  You get the idea.  I was fully prepared to go in the ditch and/or get stuck.

...and get stuck, I did.  Not 50 yards out my front door, I made a very poor decision to create my own tracks (I know, not one of my brighter moves) and promptly wedged myself onto a snow bank.  Thankfully, three very nice gentlemen saw what happened and helped to push me out.  I was on my way!

Halfway there, I began realizing exactly how dumb I was to attempt to get from my house, to the gym, and back.  At numerous points along the way, the only method I had for determining which way the road led was by keeping an eye on the powerlines that ran parallel with the road.  I could see nothing--and no one--else.

But I made it!  And I completed the Week 7 Supplement on the 5k101 program.  That means that I not only conquered snow and ice, but that I ran two 20-minute intervals totaling nearly an hour at the gym.  And it was relatively easy.  How good that felt to finish 2010 with that feat!

That night, a second blizzard made its way through Fargo.  I didn't leave the house again until today, Jan. 2, 2011.  But I made it my first priority to start Week 8 of the 5k101 program--a 5-minute warm-up walk, 30-min run, and a 5-min cool-down.  I kicked that run's ass.  =)

The moral to the story?

Two months ago, I couldn't imagine running for more than 3 minutes at a shot.  I barely made it through a 20-minute interval workout.  Truly, I thought I would die on that treadmill.  Today, I'm running 30-minutes at a shot.  I finished my warm-up walk and run in 35 minutes, covering a 5k distance.  Yes, I could simply be the grateful beneficiary of a miracle.  I've got to believe that no miracle involves that much work!

If I can do this, so can anybody.  So, get out there and give it a shot!  I won't lie to you and say that it was easy--but I can tell you that it was worth every drop of sweat, every minute on that track.  It feels great to be in better shape!

Plus, I can still eat all those yummy holiday treats........GUILT-FREE!!!  =)