We took the plunge a couple weekends ago and signed up for the Spartan Race that is coming to Austin this May. In case you're not familiar, it is one of many mud run races where you must complete 20+ hard-core obstacles like climbing ropes, scaling walls, crawling under barbed wire... that sort of thing. Oh yeah, and you do it all while running 8+ miles up hills of mud.
You might be able to gather by my tone that this is something of a first for me, because it is. I've never run a race before - not even a 5k. Needless to say, signing up for the Spartan Race was not done out of my own motivation, but out of motivation provided by our dear friends who {are in excellent shape} and are going to be coming down to visit us in May!! I can't hardly wait to see them, but I'm not going to lie - I need to start hitting the gym. We've already paid. We already have a team name. And there are already outfit ideas in the works. It's officially official.
The other night, I was talking to my sister on the phone {she lives in the snowy state of MN}, and we had a good conversation about fitness, diet, all sorts of health related things. We talked mainly about treating your body the way God sees it - as a temple - by fueling it with nutrients instead of quick, processed faux foods. Even if that means taking that extra hour out of your day to prepare a meal. It is so worth it for so many reasons. The most important reason? You will feel better inside, and you will stay feeling younger, longer.
Ultimately, we both agreed that the key to all of this fitness and diet stuff is to get to that place of maintenance. That place where you've put in the hard work already, and if you go on a vacation and are out of the gym for a week, or if you go for some ice cream with friends {or Gourdough's Donuts if you live here in Austin}, you'll be perfectly fine! It won't make a dent. And that's where I'm working to be right now.
I have to say, training for this race is coming at the perfect time for me. I needed something. On any given day, I feel like I'm teetering on the edge between being fit and being... not so fit. But I've felt pretty great these past couple weeks, and Matt and I get to spend time working toward this goal together, which is always a good thing.
The training is hard - that term is an understatement, especially when it comes to my ability to run any decent distance - but I can tell it's going to be worth it. The race is in 14 weeks, but I'm hoping this is going to become a lifestyle that sticks - wish me luck!
You might be able to gather by my tone that this is something of a first for me, because it is. I've never run a race before - not even a 5k. Needless to say, signing up for the Spartan Race was not done out of my own motivation, but out of motivation provided by our dear friends who {are in excellent shape} and are going to be coming down to visit us in May!! I can't hardly wait to see them, but I'm not going to lie - I need to start hitting the gym. We've already paid. We already have a team name. And there are already outfit ideas in the works. It's officially official.
The other night, I was talking to my sister on the phone {she lives in the snowy state of MN}, and we had a good conversation about fitness, diet, all sorts of health related things. We talked mainly about treating your body the way God sees it - as a temple - by fueling it with nutrients instead of quick, processed faux foods. Even if that means taking that extra hour out of your day to prepare a meal. It is so worth it for so many reasons. The most important reason? You will feel better inside, and you will stay feeling younger, longer.
Ultimately, we both agreed that the key to all of this fitness and diet stuff is to get to that place of maintenance. That place where you've put in the hard work already, and if you go on a vacation and are out of the gym for a week, or if you go for some ice cream with friends {or Gourdough's Donuts if you live here in Austin}, you'll be perfectly fine! It won't make a dent. And that's where I'm working to be right now.
I have to say, training for this race is coming at the perfect time for me. I needed something. On any given day, I feel like I'm teetering on the edge between being fit and being... not so fit. But I've felt pretty great these past couple weeks, and Matt and I get to spend time working toward this goal together, which is always a good thing.
The training is hard - that term is an understatement, especially when it comes to my ability to run any decent distance - but I can tell it's going to be worth it. The race is in 14 weeks, but I'm hoping this is going to become a lifestyle that sticks - wish me luck!
Loved this!
ReplyDeleteYou'll do great! No doubt.
ReplyDelete