New month and the journey to 1:45
I’m going to be 35 this year. It’s not the obvious milestone age, like 18, 21 or 30, but it does make think that I’m getting old ( as if the grey hairs sprouting from unlikely places wasn’t proof enough, although one likes to turn a blind eye to such peculiarities of the human body). Five years from 40 is like, insane to me. Yet, by God’s grace, we are here. We. Are. Here. And I’m. Not. Happy. Correction: I’m not where I’d like to be physically. Happiness is relative, and yesterday I ate a piece of the loveliest white chocolate , so technically, I’m happy in this moment. But otherwise, I’m not pleased with my lack of fitness progress — and hands up, it’s my own fault.
For all the marathons and half marathons I’ve cranked out over the years, I’ve realised that real strength building, real weight loss, real well-being isn’t in my ability to just do a task. It’s in the preparation I do to ful-fill it. So yes, I can train for a marathon — but how have I set up my body to train? Am I eating right? Sleeping enough? Building my muscles? Drinking enough water?
Nope.
And yet, I can execute. But for how long? At what point will me legs look back at me and scream “we can’t do NUTTIN for YA MAN!”.
I pray I never see that day, when my legs grow lips and start talking back to me, quoting Public Enemy to boot.
But what I am going to do is set myself a new fitness challenge, which is why I’ve decided to jump on the Medium bandwagon. The goal is to get a (sub) 1:45 half marathon time at the Royal Parks half marathon this October. That would be 7 minutes off my current time of 1:52, so I know it’s do-able. BUT. That’s my Silver time. My Gold time is actually 1:40 (or less).
To do it, I’m gonna go HAM on the Strength training starting this week with the help of:
My new Gymbox membership (3 x strength sessions a week + 1 cardio)
My new Fit Bit Blaze to monitor my food, exercise and sleep.
The Fly Girl Collective: my new Tumblr scrapbook of awesome women for inspo: flygirlcollective.tumblr.com
This is gonna be HARD. Like, the hardest thing I’ve done in forever, because me and weights don’t really see eye-eye. But to quote one of the last decent pop songs from Kanye, what doesn’t kill me can only make me stronger…