By Valarie

I thought about looking to see when I last posted here, but you know what? That might be depressing, and who needs that? I had actually pushed this blog to the back of my mind, along with my plans to get in shape by my 40th birthday…which was two weeks ago. Didn’t quite make it! But, what’s done (or not done) is done (or not done), and here I am, still needed and really, really wanting to get in shape.

About two weeks before my birthday I was crying at the park with my friend about how disappointed in myself I was, and she said something that has helped me so much: “So, you’re not going to make that goal, so change it…make it about getting in shape while you’re 40.” Yes! I felt so freed at that moment; freed from dwelling on the goal I didn’t reach, and able to set a new one. Then, another great friend (I am a lucky chick), gave me one of the best gifts I’ve ever received: a half marathon walk/run training plan, and registration in the first annual Hershey Half Marathon on October 3. How sweet, right?

The basics of the training are so simple. We use one of three walk/run intervals (3/1, 3/2 or 4/1), with some days being time based (from 32-50 minutes) and others being distance based (from 3-10 miles), culminating in the 13.1 mile event with a 3/2 interval throughout.

We started last week, and it is fantastic. I held on so long to the feeling that I had to shoot for a constant run, that walking/running didn’t count. Let me tell you, even with these totally manageable intervals, I am getting a workout, and what else matters? This past Saturday my friend and I met at a park to do our three mile day, walking and running at 4/1 intervals. It has been so hot here lately, and it was already pretty warm at 8:00 am. It was definitely getting tough towards the end, but I felt so amazing afterwards. Today we did a 32 minute workout with 3/1 intervals, which I thought would be easier, but we didn’t get going until almost 5:00 pm, and it was at least pushing 90. I won’t lie, I felt like shit when we were done. But I downed a bunch of water and took a swim and now, sitting here on the couch at 10:15, I feel so proud of myself for getting it done.

So, I want to say thanks to my friends for giving me their shoulders to cry on and then a shove in the right direction. And, thanks to Linda, for letting me to continue with this blog, which is a great tool that will help me get fit while 40!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 9:01 am and is filed under Blogs, Now Panic & Freak Out. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.