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!!! =)
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