When I started this blog, I thought I’d be posting more than once a week (which is what I’m averaging now). This is not due to lack of discussion topics… obviously life just gets in the way of “hobbies” like this. That being said, I feel like I’m trying to slam a week’s worth of thoughts into a short report. It may seem a little all over the place, so bear with me! 🙂
I ran the Warrior Dash this past Saturday. It was my 2nd obstacle 5K race. In comparison to the Barbarian Challenge, I think this one was easier. They were both fun and I plan on doing more! (Tough Mudder, Spartan, etc) My boyfriend and I were in the very last group for this race at 4:00. On top of that, we were late. His car died on the way, we had to get a new ride. Ugh. Anyway, we were the VERY last 2 people to start (about 4:10). We ended up catching up to everyone else and even passed a lot of people. I felt great.. I know Insanity helped 🙂 I feel like I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been.
Here in good ol Alabama, it’s still hot at this time of year. No surprise there. So I wasn’t expecting the temperature drop for the race. It was about 60 degrees when we ran, which is fine, but when you’re swimming in icy water it gets a bit chilly!! Some of the obstacles included: crawling under barbwire, climbing a rope wall, jumping over fire, swimming through a pond with a floating obstacle, crawling up & down multiple muddy hills, crawling through muddy water trenches, etc. You can check out the pictures on the website to get a better idea. Basically LOTS of mud & lots of praying I didn’t slip and break my ankle (my balance isn’t the best). You get a beer when you finish, and Mason & I split a turkey leg. Hit the spot.
Also took my Month 2 Week 1 Insanity progress pictures below. Month 2 workouts are even more of a challenge. I was SO sore this week… I hurt sitting, standing, walking, & I could barely lift my arms over my head. So it only made sense for me to take the day off before and after the Warrior Dash. I got back on track today though.
It’s amazing how your body adapts and becomes stronger… when I began Insanity, the warm-up alone made me want to vomit. Now I can do the warm-ups with no problems. Of course I’m breathing hard and sweating within the first 5 minutes, but that’s normal. I don’t have to pause it & take long breaks to catch my breath anymore. I love feeling in shape. I feel strong and accomplished.
It’s still a little weird for me to post pictures of my body (ie what I’ve been doing every week). I used to judge myself solely on size. I know there are tons of girls who are “skinnier” than me… But the more I focus on my fitness, the more I realize that THAT is the most important goal here. Any girl can starve herself. That’s pretty easy, as in it requires no effort. What is not easy is being physically fit while feeding your body the nutrients it needs. It’s a challenge that not many people are willing to attempt. It takes hard work and dedication. THAT is something to be proud of. Not just a number on a scale.
Sure a skinny girl can be healthy, but it could also mean she lives on cigarettes and diet coke. Or just coke. Ha. Ya never know.
Aside from the visual benefits of being “fit”, also comes the numerous list of health benefits you gain from working out. Everything from brain function to warding off cancer & other diseases… Who wouldn’t prefer to be healthy and fit? I’m sure everyone would choose to be if they could snap their fingers and have it done. Most people just simply do not care enough to make it happen. Or they feel like they’ve gotten so far off track that there’s no point in trying to get back on.
No matter where you are starting out on your journey to healthy, it’s never too late. What’s your excuse? Seriously. If your body, health, wellness, and overall quality of life are important to you, then you will make it a priority. If you don’t have the motivation to do it for yourself, then maybe use the people who are most important to you. Do it for someone you care about. Get them involved and be accountability buddies. Find what motivates you. Do whatever it takes. The quote at the top of my page says it best.. “When you consider yourself valuable, you will take care of yourself in all ways that are necessary.” True that M. Scott Peck, true that. 😉
Related articles
- Obstacle events take fitness to extremes (sfgate.com)
- Muddy much? Millions drawn to obstacle courses (cnsnews.com)
- Tough Mudder – Our Experience (noquitdriveon.wordpress.com)
- Obstacle Racing Popularity Soars, Offers New Fitness Challenge (prweb.com)
The first night out, we had dinner at a place called Cabana… each table gets your own private area with a tv, & speakers with an iPod hookup. So naturally, I was DJ. The bars were fun… we saw everything from honky-tonk, to techno, to dueling pianos.
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