2010 Fitness Goals

Like many fitness junkies, I love to sign up for various races as a way to stick with my fitness goals. They keep me motivated to run harder, swim longer, or bike faster, whatever it may be. This year beats every year prior in terms of the number of races I will participate in. So, I thought I'd share my 2010 Fitness Goals on my blog. Sharing my goals makes me accountable and more likely to stick with them too!

Let's start from the beginning... Every year I run the Ukrop's Monument 10k. It's the one of the most popular 10k races in the United States, and I'm pretty sure I r

ead somewhere that it's number 26th in the

world. Not bad RVA. This year, I finished in 51:31, just about 40 seconds slower than last year. I hope to break 50 minutes next year.

Then there was the Pony Pasture 5k. We broke 25 minutes, which is a PR for me! It was a gorgeous run along Riverside Drive. The sun was shining and the James River rapids were moving fast beside us. This was my first time participating in this race. I look forward to running it every year for sure. What was more depressing was the fact that by the time we go to mile 1, racers had already turned around at the half-way point and were approaching mile 3 of the race. Ah well. Winning first place is not one of my fitness goals to be honest. My goals are for me. I compete with myself!

So those races are the only two I've completed this year so far. Now it's half-marathon season! Last year I completed my first ever half marathon here in RVA. About 5 weeks before the race, I realized I had slacked off over the summer and needed to get back on track. I had just moved in to #413, the nickname of my roommate's and my house in the fan, and the parties were epic. However, several parties later, I noticed my wallet getting thinner and I was getting fatter. I needed something to motivate me to start eating healthy again, and even if I didn't eat as healthy as I wanted to, I needed a goal that required me to run off all of the food and alcohol I was consuming. And so that's when I signed up for the half marathon. 5 weeks later, I was running the half in the pouring rain, not sure if I would really reach my goal of breaking 2 hours. When I crossed the finish line, I checked my stop watch and it read 1:57:32. Happy Day, I broke 2 hours!!! It was the greatest feeling in the world and I knew I was hooked. So I signed up again this year and while I have no plans of breaking last year's time, I still have the same goal to break 2 hours.

But wait, there's more! In addition to the Richmond Half Marathon this year, I decided to add another half marathon to my fitness goals. A good friend of mine's family has a beach house on Kiawah Island near Charleston, South Caroline. My sister went to the College of Charleston, and I absolutely love that city. When my friend told me she and her mother planned to run the Kiawah Island Golf Resort Half Marathon, and invited me along, I agreed. Why not? It's in

December, so at least it'll keep me running through the food-coma holiday of Thanksgiving. Plus, another friend of ours is joining us, so it'll be a fun girls trip down to beach! We plan on arriving a day before the race so we have a day to rest after the drive down, plus we will probably get massages afterwards! It'll be a good time and a lot of fun. Definitely looking forward to this one!

And last but not least... I signed up for my first ever triathlon!

The conversation of participating in a triathlon first came up last year when my older sister brought up the Smith Mountain Lake Triathlon. We got very excited about the idea and worked ourselves up to committing to the race. I even joined a $65/month gym just to have access to a pool. I have never been a swimmer even when I was a kid- I played softball instead. Short sprints and not a lot of long distance; That's what I was good at. I was also overweight and slow... Anyway, we ended up not following through due to my sister's knee injury and to be perfectly frank, my chicken self. After reading up on the need to prepare for 58 degree water and prevention methods for hypothermia, I realized this particular Tri was probably not the best one to be my first. I also didn't have a bike at the time.

That was in May- one of the very first triathlons of the season. Now it's August and I've been training for the Napier Realtors Richmond Sprint Triathlon on October 10th. I officially signed up (90 f'ing dollars later), so it's a go, folks. All alone. I'm a tad scared.... okay a lot!

My training has been thanks to a few co-workers who have been wonderful supporters and a great resource to me. They invite me to these practice triathlon sessions where we swim up and down the James River, hop on our bikes and ride through the park, followed by a trail run along side of the river. It's quite the adventure and I feel much more confident that I may actually pull the real triathlon off! I also should give many thanks for my amazing boyfriend who has not only been supportive and motivating, he has participated with me in the practice triathlon sessions as well. Thanks babe... I owe you!

So there you have it. My 2010 Fitness Goals... er... Races to support my goals. When I think about fitness goals, I really have one major goal: to stay healthy and fit. The whole reason I started to blog was because I truly believe in good food and good health. So wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on results!