Thursday, September 18, 2008

Accountability

I am writing this post in hopes that you all will help me stay motivated. I think that if I go ahead and write my goals down, I may feel a little more of a sense of accountability as I try to reach them if I know other people are watching me. I joined a gym a month or two ago with a few goals in mind:
1. fit into my pants again
2. look better in my pants when I do get them on again
3. lose as much fat as I can so that when I get a tummy tuck (ha ha), it will be cheaper with less lipo.

That pretty much sums up my list of starting goals. Pretty vague though, so I thought I should set some milestone type goals. I have read so many blogs about 1/2 marathons and have always thought that they were definitely not for me. My attitude is changing, however, and I have realized that in order to reach my goals I am going to have to get out of my "status quo" comfort zone, and try new things. So, I am signing up with Sara, Emily and Josie (my SILs) to run a 1/2 marathon in St. George in January. Just verbally committing has worked wonders for me. Now, instead of a sleeping-in-as-long-as-I-can Emily, you will find me at the gym most days at 5:30 am either in a class or on the treadmill and for the most part LOVING IT! Several times, I have even woken up before my 5 am alarm!
I know, I know!!! I didn't ever think I would say that, but I love the feeling of sore tired muscles that I had forgotten about and the quiet in the morning when all the kids are still sleeping. I am still a beginner so I am still building up my stamina. I start with a brisk walk for a quarter of a mile then I run for as long as I can. It started out as a 1/2 mile run before I wanted to die, but now I am getting up there to 1 1/2-2 miles inbetween walk breaks. I certainly do not expect anything grand timewise, I just want to be able to finish the race and look somewhat good doing it.
Also, there is another race in Sacramento in Nov or Dec that I might try. I will have to see how I am doing, but I think for that one my goal will be to do the 10k.
So...here is where you come in....
1. Periodically ask me how I am doing. (by the way, I haven't weighed or measured myself and I am not going to, I think I will measure my success by how I look and feel).
2. If you have any tips for beginning runners, let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help!

15 comments:

Emily Oman said...

YAY! I'm so excited for you to join us in St. George this year..it will be so fun! Nice work getting up early...that's awesome! I love having a routine and something to work for...I think my training motivation mostly comes out of fear of dying on the course...keep up the good work..luv ya and miss ya :)

SKH said...

Wahoo! It is gonna be one rockin par-tay. I did put you on the list on my side bar. You are committed! A couple of good training sites are runners world (Jay used that for his full marathon) Hal Higdon, or Jeff Galloway. I combined parts from the last two when I have trained. (Google 1/2 marathon training programs) I wish you lived by me a could motivate me to wake up at 5, instead of Ashtyn coming in to wake me up so she won't be late to school.....(Not every morning...)

Bryn and Blaine said...

Go Emily.
Blaine just ran a half marathon. I was so proud of him. I know that you can do it. Me on the other hand, I would run if you gave me a ball to kick or something. I love my mornings when everyone is still sleeping. I am converted to a morning lifestyle.

kthom said...

Very proud of you! I know how hard it is to wake up early and then actually get up, actually get dressed and actually go to the gym. For me, it's now my routine. I ran my 1st ever 5k in June and it was thrilling to finish strong...I was so proud of myself. I'm doing another one on October 4th. It's something to train for, look forward to. Going to the gym at 6:00 ish MWF is what makes me happy. I also do a weight/strength training class on T-Th. Find a class you like to split up your running. That's what works for me. Mentally it does me good. I feel the days I don't workout. A 1/2....no thanks to that, but rock on if you got some fun S-I-Ls to do it with. Keep it up, and let me know where you get your hot pants!

Tony and Traci said...

Ooo Yay!! So I am officially moving back to Turlock!! We will be there Saturday or Sunday Night and so if you need any motivation (which I know I will too) you and I can go running/walking. What I did when I was at school running on the tredmill was I just added a minute of run time until I got to what I wanted, then when it got to easy, I would increase the speed and do it all over again. Stretch!! Weight training helps too.

Amberly said...

Way to go. I am impressed with the 5 am thing and the running thing and the liking it thing. Keep it up - maybe you'll inspire me... :)

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

Yeah - I am so excited for you. You will love it, the training is the best part. My advice, you're not bad if you walk. Second, find a running partner to do your long runs on, it's the only way to make it through. Good luck.

The Beauty and Her Beasts said...

Hey it was fun seeing you in Micheals the other day. Made me miss seeing you at our mornings workouts. Good shoes! Those are a MUST! They have these shoes they do specifically for your feet. My sis gets them. She is a runner. If you are interested lemme know!

Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts said...

Emily, you are my hero. And I'm so glad that you are choosing to take care of yourself but not bother with weights and measurements - just by how you look and even better, feel. That sends a much better message to our daughters, I think, that it matters more that we feel healthy, not that we're "the perfect size."

But I hate running. I'm getting a bicycle. And I would like to try rowing too. I love that we have lots of water here for that!

Reil family said...

I am so excited for you good job with waking up so early and working so hard. Good luck with the marathon.

Molly said...

My friend! What a lofty goal you've made--I know that you will do great! Coming home anytime soon?

Tony and Traci said...

We are staying with Tony's parents for another week untill our apartment opens up. Yes, we will be at church on sunday :)

Danielle said...

Hey! It was so good to see you at Emily's today! A good motivator for me (when I choose to look at it) is a website called sparkpeople. Have you heard of it? It is the best FREE website. It has tons of tips, articles, you can earn "points" that go towards a little trophy...It is really worth checking out! I am going to see my friend that works at Turlock Fitness and talk to her about any specials that she may know about. I will let you know! Talk to you soon!

Brigitte said...

What a great idea! I so need to lose the baby weight, I mean it has been a year now...

I dunno though if I can commit through my blog like that. I guess that's why I look the way I do. Kudos to you though! Good luck!

Ashley said...

Yeah Emily, that is awesome! I hope to join you guys in St. George. I am also going to run the Zeitgeist Half Marathon on Nov. 1 in Boise, it will be my first. I ran 9 miles this morning in the pitch dark and light rain, and I feel good except my calves are killing me.