And so it begins...

On Sunday, I was a volunteer at Ironman Canada. It was incredible. I got to watch athletes reach the 40km mark of their final stage of their journey... less than 2km and they'd be declared "IRONMAN". It was amazing. There were young people, old people, skinny people, fat people, literally people of all shapes and sizes. Some looked like they were ready to collapse, others had the biggest smiles on and a bounce in their step... I loved every minute of it. It solidified the fact that completing an ironman was definitely something on my list of things I must do in my lifetime!! I also got to watch my amazing husband as he became an Ironman. I am so incredibly proud of him!! He did great. He looked great. He finished strong and had a smile on his face. It was awesome. Truly.

And so, the very next day, it was time to stand in line and sign up for 2012. And now, I am starting my journey for ironman. I am excited. I am nervous. I am scared. But most of all, I am ready to embark on the same journey I watched my husband take over the last five months. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a lot of work. But it's going to be worth it!!

And I'm going to share my journey. The good, the bad, the ugly. I'm certain there will be lots to learn and lots to share. I'm breaking the year up into some phases. First up, I will try and overhaul my eating. It's kind of gotten worse lately, and it's time to work at eating properly and in the proportion my body needs. I will also concentrate on building up some muscle strength in my legs especially. The hills of ironman Canada are tough and I want to build up the strength now, so I'm ready when the dedicated training and rides start up in the new year!! I also want to try and trim some of the fat off my body... the lighter I am, the easier it will be to haul this body up said hills!!

So, between now and Christmas, I will focus on improved eating and muscle conditioning. It's a start, and it's the area of focus for now...

Training for Spartan...

The first Spartan Race in Calgary, is coming up in a few short weeks. Less than three to be exact. I am entered. I am excited, but am I ready? Well, not really... I mean, my mind is there, but exercise has been a bit sparce lately. I mean, I am still getting in some runs and rides, but not with quite the volume as I was earlier this year. Part of the reason for that is I want to make sure my husband is getting in his rides/runs/swims for his ironman. But part of the reason is also just not quite the same commitment as early. Some days I'm just feeling lazy. It's no excuse really, but I could use with a few more workouts. After the Ride To Conquer Cancer, I just haven't been as motivated to be active and haven't been going out of my way to exercise every day. I know this will change again soon, but in the mean time, I really could use with a few more upper body workouts (I hear burpees are pretty common on the Spartan Race!!).

I feel like I'm a broken record... The motivation just hasn't been there, but it will be. Yeah yeah, but what am I going to do to make sure that happens? Here is my plan:

1. Write it down. Make yourself a little list of maybe 3 to 5 things you want to get done in a day, and keep that list close at hand so that you get those things ticked off. And make sure that your workout is one of the items!! Having a list and checking things off really can help.

2. Find some inspiration. For me, my biggest inspiration this week was a youtube video that I saw incorporating one of my favourite exercise songs with one of my big picture goals. Check it out... it may scare you, or it may inspire you... possibly both, but for me it was inspiring!!

3. Figure out what your goal is. Sometimes, without any sort of goal, we just sort of float along. This is especially true after you've done something spectacular. In my case, it was the Ride to Conquer Cancer. That was an amazing experience and I loved it, but since completing that, I haven't really focused on any new goal, and as a result, I haven't really been putting in any kind of effort. So now, I will focus on my Spartan Race as my next goal, and with less than three weeks to go... it's time to kick it into high gear!!

4. Share your goal. Tell other people what you are planning to do. Then, you are more likely to work towards it, since others may ask you about how things went!!

5. Just get out there and do something!! It seems minor but sometimes, it's so easy to come up with every excuse not to do something rather than just taking the time and getting out there!! You will be glad you did...

And with that... I'm off to go run...