Training

I have started training for a 5K -- the Skirt Sports Skirt Chaser 5K to be held on August 28th in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver.  I have never really trained for a 5K before and I have only walked in one, the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure back in 2007.  I am actually very excited about my training though.  I'm actually part of a team and have received a complete training program that breaks down training each week for 7 weeks.  I am now in Week 2.

Back in June, I decided to apply to be part of Team Kick Start through the Skirt Sports website.  I am pretty out of shape for a 34 year old woman.  I can't really tell when the last time was that I worked out.  I'm really disappointed in my sedentary lifestyle.  I used to be a ballet dancer, I took lessons for 10 years.  I used to love dancing but then I sort of lost the desire to dance and perform and started sitting and reading a lot.  I read a lot of books, I enjoy fiction and non-fiction.  So, instead of working out I grabbed a book and sat on the couch with a cup of tea and read.  I also knit and crochet, which are also very sedentary hobbies.  So, I'm lazy.  Well, April of this year my father found out his cancer was back for a third time in a 4 year period.  I got angry!  I was pissed that daddy's cancer was back again!  He had only been in remission 10 months this time around and it was back!  I wanted to hit something!  Then, I sat down and calmed down and took a long hard look at myself.  I have a family history of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.  My paternal grandmother had a triple bypass in December 2008.  My paternal grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes about 5 years ago.  My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 88 then went on oxygen for emphysema and passed away in November 2009 at the age of 93.  My maternal grandmother suffers from high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Actually, all of my grandparents have the cholesterol and blood pressure issues.  So, knowing that there is all of this stuff in my family and that my father has cancer again, I decided I needed to take action with my own body.

So, I applied for Team Kick Start.  I wasn't really expecting to be picked and then I got the email -- I'm part of the team.  Wow!  I had an intense moment of excitement and then a lingering moment of fear.  Am I going to be able to succeed?  Am I going to meet my goal to start having a healthier lifestyle?  Boy, I certainly hope so.  My goal with this 5K is to be able to walk it at a good pace that gets my heart rate up and my body sweating and feel really good and exhilarated when I cross the finish line.  If I manage to comfortable walk 5K during my training weeks, I might even try to add some running, but right now I'm walking.  I'm feeling really great!  I'm actually looking forward to getting home and walking around the lake at Clement Park in the evenings (even though it has been extremely hot, with temps in the 90s and even 100).  I'm doing yoga at home in the mornings.  Boy, yoga is harder than I thought, but I like it!

Onward and upward is all I can say right now!  I have every intention of walking this 5K in 1 hour or less and crossing that finish line with a huge smile on my face and tons of joy, pleasure and excitement.  I am NOT going to cross that line exhausted, gasping for air!  I will succeed and I will keep the training going, I will keep walking as part of my life and eventually add running to it.  There are two books that have been recommended by the Team Personal Motivators that I am going to purchase: ChiWalking and ChiRunning.  I think they both are going to open my mind to whole new ways of looking at walking and running.

Next stop: Boulder Running Company to have my stride examined and to purchase new sneakers!