transition to greatness

this blog goes out to anybody that is having a hard time letting go of their old self. you know, the self that ate whatever it wanted, walked past the scale every morning, and ignored the calorie count on the starbucks latte day in and day out.

this blog goes out to anybody that is having a hard time imaging their new self. you know, the self that will have no fear jumping on the scale at the dr.'s office. the self that will sign up for 10k runs in support for breast cancer research. the self that will devote more time to eating healthy. the self that will be a health advocate for others looking to change their lives.

i love you. just because you read my blog. i really mean it. now, stop allowing me to be the only one loving you and start loving YOURSELF enough to start running! i have spoken to countless people during the month of november, and they always say..."i want to start running!" of course i get super excited and immediately want to jump through the phone and hug them.

you guys, i am rooting for you. it's only right that you believe in yourself and start challenging yourself to grow. nobody said that it would be easy. there are no shortcuts to success, you have to take the stairs...

a quick reflection. allow me to restate why i decided to become a runner.

on may 17th (the day after my 26th birthday), i was gifted a pair running shoes and a nike plus chip. i was so thankful for this gift, as i had been eyeing the commercial for this movement for a while everytime i went into finishline. i would go home and talk about how cool it was, and boom...i got it for my bday!

my jaw was on the ground for about 20 minutes after i opened the gift, no lie. i was so thankful! i quickly understood what would become of it, and told myself that it would be a slap in my friend's face if i didn't use the gift.

starting may 17th, i belonged to the largest running club in the nation world ((nike plus)). you know, i was one of "them." the cool fit people that could run for hours upon hours! they opened their membership up to me! all i had to do was put the chip in my sneaker and hit the pavement.

NIKE PLUS COMMERCIAL

my first run was on may 17th, i ran 1.36 miles at a pace of 14:45/mile. all this means in the running world is that i walked my way through the run. but who cares? i completed my first run, which means i'm awesome. i was tired as hell, but couldn't throw in the towel. that little ghost named ACCOUNTABILITY hovered over me like you wouldn't believe.

here are some things i did to keep myself motivated.

1. start talking about it. tell everyone you know, including the annoying people in your life that you have decided to become a runner. i'm a private person, but what this does is allows people to bring it up and ask you later how the running is going. you'd be surprised how well this works. on the week i decided to be a pig and eat everything in site, someone walked up to me and asked, "how's running going?" gasp. i took my butt home and laced up that night. enough said.

2. accessorize. i'm big on this. refer to my blog titled, "it's like waxing your eyebrows." buy yourself some new running shoes. buy the nike plus running chip. buy a new cd on itunes. get a cute water bottle. even get a new membership at the gym! these things will motivate you to get going! i swear, it worked for me!

3. invite. do you know someone in your circle or even at work that wants to lose weight in 2011? well invite them. it's fun to workout with someone, especially when they have the same goals as you. it's also difficult to cancel on someone that is counting on meeting up with you. think about it.

4. sign up for races. once you pay the money to run for a cause, you are held accountable for running the day of the race. 5k (3.1mi), 10k (6.2) half marathon (13.1), or marathons (26.2) are good races! start at the bottom and work your way up! you'll be surprised at how much fun these races are! you meet people and get free stuff....and on top of that, you are helping your community fight for a cause.

5. get a plan. with nike plus, you can set up goals and challenges for yourself. your goal could be to run 4x a week. maybe on your fridge post a running regimine. here's my suggestion for a new runner:

monday-1mi (run half, walk half)
tuesday-rest
wednesday-2mi (run 1, walk 1)
thursday-1mi (run entire)
friday-rest
saturday-5k (3.1mi, run 2 walk 1)
sunday-rest

always consult your doctor. a rule of thumb is, if you are out of breath while you're running and talking...you're probably running too fast. so slow it down and pace yourself. you can work on your pace once your cardio gets better. just focus on finishing strong. after a couple of weeks or so, increase your distance. a good friend of mine told me it's about distance, not pace at the start of your journey. just, "get those miles in," as he would say.

i'm here if you need me. let's continue to transition to a life filled with HEALTH AND PROSPERITY.

viva las running shoes.

p e a c e,

t.