April [Snow] Showers Bring Snow Plowers

Last night and even this morning before I got out of bed I was wondering what I would blog about today. I didn't really want to write about running again because that seems to be all I've been doing lately. But then I took my ass outside for my run and knew right then and there I would be writing about running. And it fits in perfectly with Tough It Out Tuesday.

As part of my goals for the week I made sure I went to bed early. I'm talking in bed by 9 and lights out by 10. According to my FitBit I was able to sleep for almost 8.5 hours. It was wonderful!

And then my alarm went off at 6:30 and I was whining about having to get up. I just can't win when it comes to sleeping. No matter how much or how little I will always want to sleep more. Or maybe that's just part of being an adult?

Anyways, so I managed to get up and out the door. Boy was it chilly! You would never guess it's the middle of April right now unless you're from Wisconsin and this crazy weather is somewhat normal to you. I decided I could handle the cold since I've done it before. Not even 5 minutes after I started I was seriously doubting if I should continue though.

It snowed Sunday night and I guess because it's April people decided they didn't need to shovel their sidewalks at all yesterday. I didn't know if my whole route was going to be like this or if it was just this section. Falling from running on ice/snow was not in my morning plan so I wasn't sure what to do.

Pretty quickly I decided to tough it out and just get it over with. I knew at around my half way point I would be done with sidewalks for a while and that I was going to be on a less busy street on my way back so I could run in the road if needed. It was less than ideal but I got it done.

Hopefully that's the last of these April snow showers so I don't see any more snow plowers!

Now please excuse me as I'm off to take a hot shower to warm up!

A Running Update

Good Tuesday morning my friends! Crazy that I can say that before 8am on a work day but I'm in a good mood this morning so I'm just going to run with it.

Remember back on Wednesday when I filled y'all in on how I decided to start running again? Well mother nature decided to not cooperate Friday morning to allow me to get my second run in as planned. Freezing rain and snow Thursday night to more snow Friday morning meant the roads were crap and as I told Carolyn and Tammy Jo, I'm too young to slip and fall or be hit by a car.

And despite the really awesome weather Saturday and Sunday I was more of a bump on a log than a runner. Let's throw in one more day of being a bump on a log on Monday for good measure while we're at it.

Any time I'm at work seems to be the optimal time for me to feel motivated and want to get my act together. And wouldn't ya know, I got bit by the running bug yesterday afternoon while slugging along during a busy Monday at work. I took advantage of it though and set a run reminder on my Nike+ Running App, changed my alarm to 6:30am, and just got it in my head that I would be running the next morning.

It was so in my head apparently that I woke up twice before my alarm thinking, "crap I missed my alarm to run now I can't" only to check the time and realize it was way too early to be worrying about not being able to run.

When my alarm finally did go off I got right down to business and was out starting week 1 day 2 of the C25K program before 7am.

After getting two runs under my belt I'm feeling pretty good about this running thing. Let's hope it continues that way!

I think I just might be crazy but I'm going to run again tomorrow morning to finish out week 1 of the C25K program. I'm a day behind schedule but I think it will all work out in the end.

By the way, I should probably mention what I am training for. It's not an actual organized road race but a virtual 5K race through the SparkPeople website the week of June 8-14. It's free, I can run any 3.1 mile route I choose, and it can be done when it fits into my schedule any time during that week. I figure this way I'm training for something rather than following the program just for the structure of it.

This may just be the time I finally complete the entire C25K program!

Did you sign up for a race to train for when you started running?
What is your favorite part of running that makes you stick with it?

The Power of the Buddy System

I'm back again! I didn't celebrate St. Patty's Day so I'm not nursing a hangover but I am down in the dumps that my area of Wisconsin is looking at getting some more snow again today/tonight. As much as I love the winter months when I get to snowmobile I didn't do that at all this winter so I am totally over it and the snow.

Moving on...

I mentioned yesterday in my weekly goals post that I was doing the 30 Day Shred with Tammy Jo {her blog: You Wouldn't Call it a Drinking Problem}. And today I just wanted to take a moment to sing the praises of the buddy system.

This journey to lose weight / make a healthy lifestyle change is hard. I've started this journey many many times before, even saw some success, but it has never really stuck with me for the long haul before. But I'm hoping to put that behind me and make this the time it all sticks with me.

I know that it all starts with me and that I have to want to make the changes and actually put in the hard work. But for me there is another factor to success. Having a buddy, someone who will work out with you and push you to do what you know you should do when you really don't want to do it.

It has worked in the past and it's working again now for me even though Tammy Jo is hundreds of miles away in Texas this time rather than across town.

Yesterday morning I just couldn't get myself out of bed so I decided I would work out after work. But while I was sitting at work for those eight long hours I had changed my mind and decided that I would just skip my work out for the day. I was tired, Dancing with the Stars was premiering and I was already going to miss the first 30 minutes, and honestly who wants to work out before getting to sit down and veg? Not this girl!

Thankfully Tammy Jo pulled through for me with the buddy system. She knocked out day one of the Shred and then proceeded to Instagram it and shared it on Twitter plus she texted me. So when I walked out of work I had all of these notifications waiting for me. How could I skip my work out now? Everyone would know that I was supposed to and then didn't. The answer was simple, I couldn't skip my work out. And I didn't.

This morning I was laying in bed after my alarm went off and was dreading getting out of bed to complete day two. But after talking to Tammy Jo, who was only going to TRY to get her work out done this morning as of last night, I realized I just needed to get up and get it over with. So I did it. And so did she.

While this journey is a very personal one and takes a lot of hard work and determination that can only come from within having a strong support system and a good buddy to help you out is extremely helpful if not necessary. At least for me it is.

2 days down, 3 more to go this week!

Do you use the buddy system?

I'm linking up with Kay from The Best of Intentions and Allie from Tales of a Twenty Something for Tough it out Tuesday.