Can't workout? Imagine you can!

I'm still a few weeks away from being able to really workout. And let's be honest, after three months of pretty much nothing, my first stab at retro-fitting myself isn't likely to be really working out. But hey, I'll take it.


One thing has creeped into my mind lately and it's a little freaky: just how normal not exercising has become. Just as we get accustomed to any change, like sleeping through the night or getting to eat at regular intervals or remembering to look in the mirror before leaving the house (all of which have made swift exits from my life in the past month); I've become accustomed to not exercising. Scary. I hate it. I really really don't like it one stinking bit.


I used to ache for the gym, and now it's a distant memory. Muscle soreness?  Please. My eyelids and boobs are the only thing getting a workout these days. It's all for a good cause (cause my baby is WAY cute and super sweet) but still, I don't like how not working out has become my new normal.


Visualization helps. By imagining myself working out, remembering myself in a fitter body, and visualizing what I will do and how I will feel when I am able to be more active, I can remind my brain that this is not the new normal, that I will get back to the old normal, and that it better not forget it for one single second.


I've been unhealthy and I've been healthy. Healthy is better. Here's how I am on the way to getting back there!

Now come on, enough babbling. Get out there and get healthy!

RIP Jack LaLanne

I still remember the first time I saw Jack LaLanne on TV. This compact, pompadour-wearing muscle man dressed all in black, teaching housewives of America how to exercise at home had me staring at the screen in dumbfounded awe.  I didn't know whether to laugh or take notes. His earnest, optimistic, positive, and can-do attitude mesmerized me and endeared me to him for years after. Over the years I have grown to respect Jack LaLanne as a champion of health, pioneer of clean eating, mastermind of brute strength, and example of just clean healthy wellness without pity.


To say that he was an inspiration to me is an understatement. Jack LaLanne performed feats of strength and endurance that boggled my mind. He swam underwater for the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, loaded with 140 pounds of equipment, for pete's sake! He completing over a thousand pushups in a little over 20 minutes, and towed 65 boats filled with thousands of pounds of wood through the water.  He even had a workout for your face!

He also made juicers.


Jack LaLanne died yesterday at the ripe old age of 96. He often said that dying would ruin his image, but I think he showed us all how to live - clean, healthy, and embracing the benefits of health and fitness until the very end.


I hope you'll read up on Jack today and watch some of his old videos.  He was an inspiration then and still is today.  Run an extra lap for Jack!  Or, exercise your face!


Get inspired. :)

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch

Ouch.

Step.

Ouch.

Step.

Oh, hi. Don't mind me. I'm just walking off this morning's run.

Ouch. Ouch. Step.

Sometimes you get out there and start running, you know, and you just glide effortlessly down the street.

Ouch. Ouch. Step. Ouch.

And other days you have to dig really down deep to keep from getting back in the car. 

Really deep.

I dug to the bottom today.  But I did it. Eight miles of hills, done. My quads are still punishing me.

I think I will bike tomorrow. 

Yeah, I am definitely biking tomorrow.

Ouch

Step

Ouch

Step...

:)

Kettlebells: Know Your Pro!

Sometimes people call me Jillian Junior, which kind of annoys me because I cannot stand Jillian Michaels' persona on TV.  I know that they're just referring to my "no pity" way of keeping people - and myself - accountable to their fitness goals, and I am glad they find that endearing because I don't plan to start being an enabler anytime soon. 

And I do think that Jillian Michaels makes some valid assessments about people's readiness to change when it comes to their personal wellness, and her brand of bullying can be effective for some people to wake up and get real about their health.  I just have a hard time getting past the diet pill thing.

ANYWAY.  Since I am already so down on Jillian, reading this article about criticism of her new kettlebell workout DVD just added fuel to my fire.  I have never done a kettlebell workout, although I do use them for resistance with dead lifts and whatnot at the gym.  But I do know that working with kettlebells can be a serious calorie-burner and is likely different from anything you've ever done before and therefore great for cross-training.  And I also know it needs to be done under the supervision of someone who knows what the heck they're talking about.

Friends, use your whole grain noodle.  If you want to try kettlebells, do!  But seek out a certified instructor and sign up for a class where you can be monitored safely.  Dragon Door offers this national search database where you can find a certified instructor, which includes my friend Laurel Blackburn of Boot Camps to Go.  Check them out!

Be healthy, be safe, be smart!  Good day!

A Little Perspective for Thursday

Liposuction and diet pills.

Just sayin'.

A little perspective for your workout today.

:)

Fingers Crossed for Fall

Not me, just so we're clear.

I don't want to jinx anything, but this morning when I opened my door to head out for my boxing workout, it didn't feel like a sauna. 

That was weird.  Really weird.

It felt...nice.  Almost cool.  Okay, cool for a southerner.

And then when I dropped my son off at school, it was breezy.  I wasn't sweating.  It is August, right?

I am hoping against hope that fall is on the way.  Running inside on a treadmill is messing with my head, man, and I can't wait for some lower temperatures to coax me out onto the pavement.  That back-to-school feeling is in the air and I for one am ready to start seeing some jack-o-lanterns on my morning run.

And, I am hoping for nice, non-humid, weather for my friend Edie, who is competing in her first triathlon this weekend!  GO GIRL!  You are going to be great!

Fingers crossed for fall!  I'm guessing this is just a tease on Mother Nature's part, but I'll take it.

What's your favorite outdoor workout for cooler weather?

Heels Over Head

Yesterday in the gym it was a bit of a grab-bag. Captain Awesome had what looked like a really fun circuit set up, which inspired me to, well, do a circuit. Duh. So we set another one up, then Jenny joined in, and it became a lot of fun. (By the way, Jenny, I meant to tell you your arms are looking awesome.)

After two rounds though, we got a little punchy. I don't know if it was because it was Friday and we were in a good mood or what, but somehow I got myself wrapped into jumping rope around the room.



Actually I know exactly how it happened. I was jumping rope while Jenny was trying to do her walking lunges, and since we had all of this stuff everywhere I was trying to find a spot where I could jump rope without hitting anyone or anything, and in the process tried to move out of the way without stopping jumping rope. So that led to speculation of what distance I could travel while jumping rope, which led to me saying I could go all the way around the room, which led Awesome to doubt my claim, which of course he knew would lead to me fulfilling it, which ultimately led to me traveling the perimeter of the room by hopping forward while jumping rope.


It was easy. And fun!  Even when everyone started contributing their own "rules" to the exercise like having to start over at the finish if I got tripped up, or having to go around the cones to not cut corners.  I ignored them for the most part. :)

That done and smack laid down, I filled Awesome in on a new goal of mine: handstand push-ups. We wasted no time and before I knew it, I was upside down on my hands doing the tiniest little push-up you've ever seen. But, I did two sets of 10 tiny little push-ups and it was a lot of fun! Way easier than it looks.

Me doing the handstand push-up. I was going to attempt to
vacuum at the same time but thought that might be a bit much.
PS don't look at my butt.

Yesterday was a really fun workout and I was sad when it was time to leave. It reminded me that staying active is about pushing yourself in challenging ways but also just having fun. Get out of the box today and try something new. Stand on your hands and do a push-up just to see if you can.


And most of all, have a healthy weekend!

Put Up Your Dukes!

So today I did a really fun boxing workout and now I think Wednesdays will be boxing days.  Like I said Monday, I'm trying to maximize my calorie burn during resistance training so I can sleep more, and boxing is a great combination of cardio and resistance.  Today I spent more time than I wanted to standing around being demonstrated to than actually burning calories, but once I get the moves down and can do them back to back I think it will be a great way to torch up a Wednesday morning.

Oh, man.  I totally should have done the jump rope while he was showing me how to do the next set instead of just standing there with my gloves on my hips like a dope.  Damn it.  Oh, well.  Next time. 

Anyway, when I uploaded my GoWearFit, I had burned 900 calories before 8:00 am so that's pretty good considering I also scored an extra hour of zzzzzzzzzzzzs. 

My husband boxes for exercise and has a whole set-up in our game room complete with a heavy bag, speed bag, and some kind of weird thing that attaches to the ceiling and has a weight on the floor and a bag in the middle.  I don't know what that is for.  I don't want to know what that is for.  I just don't mess with it.

Anyway, he's mentioned a few times that I should box with him and he even bought me some gloves (and no they are not pink).  Now that I've had a little taste of it, I think that looks like an excellent way to decide who was the last person to empty the litter box.  (Hint: it was me.)

I can't claim to be an expert on boxing but I found some resources that may help you integrate some of it into your workout.  Check them out and practice your Muhammad Ali impression!  Or Rocky.  Or Popeye.  I actually don't care who you pretend to be as long as you get out there today and exercise those lazy bones!

Sample Boxing Routines
Boxing for Better Health
Hillary Swank did it and so can you!

And just because I love Popeye...



Good day!

GoWearFit: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has never been so rewarding

So I've been wearing my GoWearFit for a little over a month now and have not lost any of my initial enthusiasm for it.  Where has it been all my life?  I will tell you what, if I had this thing 10 years ago I could have saved myself a lot of time in the self-help section of the bookstore. 

But I don't want to dwell on the past.

Or do I?

You see, my GFW (we're BFFs now so I can call it that), tells me about my past.  My immediate past, that is.  It allows me to look back over my shoulder (or my left tricep, since that is where it lives) and see if I really did burn what I thought I did.  And then, it allows me to make a better plan for the future by showing me in black and white what my body is doing, within a 5% margin of error.  So, for example, yesterday I burned a whopping 2,443 calories (give or take), which gave me an approximate calorie deficit of just over 900 calories, which means that vacation weight is going bye-bye. yay!  Today I estimate I'll have about 800 calorie deficit, based on my workout plans for the day and what I plan to eat.  I'm going to a party this weekend, so I will workout Saturday morning, sync the GWF up to my reporting software, and decide on a calorie goal for the day that will result in a break-even (if not a small deficit) so I can relax a little at the party but stay within maintenance.  If I don't hit my mark, GWF will tell me and I'll adjust accordingly on Sunday.

And in a week or so, when I am back in my happy zone, I'll go back to eating more and exercising a little less, so I can break even around 2,000 calories a day.

What is so exciting about all of this (for me) is that it is a completely sane way to manage my fitness.  A little compulsive, yes, but come on.  Being compulsive is like Christmas morning to me.  I love it!  Seriously.  I can obsess about so many other things now that my GWF tracks all of the stuff I used to obsess about.  Thanks, BodyMedia!

Speaking of compulsive, here's a little peek into my report from Sunday.  See the spike at the beginning of the day?  That's me exercising.  See where it is WAY higher in the second hour?  That's me doing sprint intervals outside.  The first part is an elliptical-and-weights circuit I did, and the second is this interval podcast.  Seeing the difference in the effectiveness of different workouts is golden to me.  That little flat part around 4:00 is when I was swimming with my kiddo.  GWF doesn't do water, yo.

Okay, I'm rambling.  Bottom line - if you're a control freak perfectionist tired of wondering if you really are burning what those formulas say that you are, go get a GoWearFit already! 

Be a control freak perfectionist about something else for a change. :)

Workout With the Stars

Yeah so I know it's not exactly scientific to base a workout on my horoscope, but lately my little phone-app-star reading has pretty much adopted the role of my personal trainer. 

Staying fit and training on the road is really hard; it takes a special kind of motivation and drive that can wane as schedules get messed up, sleep is erratic, and meals are more often eaten in restaurants than in my healthy and well-calibrated kitchen.  So when I woke up to my alarm yesterday at 5:00 am ready for a workout in the hotel gym and then woke up again two and a half hours later, I had to chuckle when I opened my phone mid-day and read my horoscope:

"...you are over-worked and under-rested. You can't go on at breakneck pace. Be kind to yourself... Rest up and rejuvenate your spirit, your body, and your outlook."

Okay, check.

This morning, when the alarm went off at 5:00 am I reached for my phone to turn it off and on a whim, decided to read my horoscope and see what training advice it had for me today.  I was delighted:

"Start the day early and catch up with as much as possible. Once you are back on track you will experience a huge relief and renewed enthusiasm..."

My little psychic friend knows me so well.  As much as I can take this sort of "advice" seriously, this little message was just what I needed to press "restart" on my workout and start getting my groove back.  It felt good to sweat again.

But I am soooooooo glad today was my last hotel workout for a while! 

Good day!

Gym-Hopping

I've been spending some time away from my "home gym" these last couple of weeks, with more traveling looming in the future.  So it was such a nice treat to get to workout with Captain Awesome this morning.  Some elliptical work and weights circuit at home kicked off my Monday, and then the HIIT treadmill workout followed by some great heart-pumping compound exercises that kept me huffing and puffing.  What a fantastic way to start the week!

Traveling around to different gyms challenges me to be more independent in my workouts.  I really love working with a trainer because it gives my brain a break.  I spend all day solving problems and figuring out stuff for other people to do, so it's nice to have some time when someone else decides things and I just follow.  When I am on the road, I write out my workouts on that little pad of paper they leave you in hotel rooms so when I get down to the "gym," I am not at a loss for what to do.  It's a great accountability tool, as well, because I save the little cocktail-napkin workouts for future trips and remember what worked and didn't work.

They also make me feel guilty when I am thinking about skipping a workout, which is a nice side-benefit. :)

What do you do when you're away from home base?  Traveling doesn't have to mean letting your health and fitness lapse; it's a great chance to try something new and challenge yourself!

Good day!

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEE!

Today is my birthday - woot - so it's my own personal New Year's Day.  I always make new goals and resolutions on my birthday and consider it a clean-slate kind of day.  And, I always try to get the new year started off right with a positive, challenging, and fun workout.  Today, that meant getting up early for some Sparatacus training, then elliptical and trash TV (today it was, "You're Cut Off," on VH1), and then a GetFitPod high-intensity interval training workout on the treadmill at the gym.  Then my wonderful trainer and I did some back, triceps, hamstrings, and calves, including a really fun hamstring exercise I had never done before, which was a fun way to kick off the new year.

But the coolest part about my bday this year is that I don't really feel like there is anything to clean off the slate.  Life is good right now, and I want to keep all of the scribbles and partially-erased parts and little pictures drawn all over the slate that is my little world, and just take today to reflect on all of it and what may be ahead for me.  So thanks to everyone out there who has made this such a wonderful year!  And to answer everyone's question,   NO, I AM NOT EATING CAKE TODAY! :)

This is how to finish a race

It's the weekend, and you know what that means: its a race to the finish between you and your head games.  So, when it's Saturday night and that second (or third or fourth) glass of wine is making it really hard to remember why you decided to stop eating brownies, I want you to think about this video and how you want to start Monday morning.

(hint: that would be without a food hangover)

The good people at Triumph Triathlon (on Twitter @triumphtri) posted it on Twitter this morning and reminded me that Friday is the starting gun on the big race between me and my metabolism.  Thanks guys! I have a plan to make it to Monday, do you?

The Plan: DO THINGS

Last week I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Southwest Airlines founder, Herb Kelleher:

"We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things."

And as one of the only airlines out there actually still doing okay (as least in the category of not pissing off all of your customers, which seems to be the strategic plan of other airlines), I think he knows what he is talking about. 

And that quote reminded me of this picture, which I love. 

And THAT reminded ME to remind YOU that while sitting around and thinking about your goals is great as a visualization tool, only getting up and doing things is going to make them happen.

A reminder from me to you: do things today.  Preferably in the direction of having super-hero arms. :)

Good day!

That *&%^ing Box

When I pulled into the gym this morning and saw a different trainer's car instead of Captain Awesome's, I was relieved.  On Monday I told Capt. Awesome that I wanted Wednesdays to be plyometric and agility days, so I can start getting ready for the Ultimate Fitness Challenge in November, and because I am a masochist.  I haaaaate plyometrics.  I really hate jumping.  And you know I hate that damn box.

So when I learned that Jennifer was filling in for him today, I thought I was off the hook.  I like working out with Jennifer because we always do different stuff and she comes up with a lot of compound exercises, which keep my heart rate up and my GoWearFit calculating away on those calories.  So we set up a circuit full of fun little things to do and I got to work.  And then she said, "oh, I forgot to set up your box."

The box.

That 21 inch plyo box is the one solitary thing in the gym that scares me.  I mean like really scared, mental block, go to jump and then freeze scared.  It's one of those things that just gets inside my head and messes with me.  But I want to master it, cause that's how I roll. 

But we set things up in a different way: we kept the box a little low (2 risers and a step) and put a bench behind it so I could squat/tap the bench in between jumps.  It really helped!  I did 8 or so and then moved on.  The next round, she added a riser, and I did 13.  The final round through the circuit, I completed 15 jumps.  Having the bench behind me really helped me not be scared I was going to fall backwards and break my coccyx (which happened to a friend of mine and kept her out of the gym for WEEKS, the agony).  I still really disliked jumping, but I have to admit I didn't hate it.  That was nice.

Okay, so for a lot of you out there jumping on a box is not that big of an accomplishment.  But for me, it felt like I had climbed Mount Everest.  And more importantly, I didn't get out of doing plyometrics today like I thought I had, which means that Ultimate Fitness Challenge training has officially begun.

Over the next few months I will be highlighting some of my favorite ladies of Women's Tri-Fitness, the athletes who inspire me, intimidate me, motivate me, and teach me how to do things that are outside of my workout comfort zone.  I hope you are as inspired and entertained by them as I am!  I look forward to introducing them to you.

Have a healthy day!

Sweat-a-thon!

I have this running route that I like to do on Saturdays.  It is five miles, really hilly, and kicks my butt every time. Plus, its reallllly humid these days so its really just a miserable run. But I do it anyway because I like being miserable.

But one thing I do when I am not able to complete a run is to switch to intervals: run all-out for a sprint, then walk or jog.  Sprint/walk/sprint/walk all the way home.  I did this last weekend, partly for the increased cardio and partly to get rid of a bee that was intent on following me home. Let me tell you, that was one determined bee.

As I randomly intervaled my way home I thought about all of those Couch to 5k podcasts out there and wondered if there was one for intervals.  Well of course there was!  I downloaded this high-intensity interval training podcast for the treadmill by Skip Orem at GetFitPod (okay my husband did it for me because I couldn't figure it out) and tried it out this morning.

It was great!  It was HARD!  Because I hate surprises, I listened to it on the way to the gym so I wouldn't waste my cardio time learning the workout, but it's pretty simple: run when he tells you to run, walk when he tells you to walk.  You choose the intensity, but Skip is great at challenging you to be honest about whether you are really working hard enough.  I mean, HIIT is called high-intensity for a reason!  You gotta be dead at the end!

He also has a podcast for running outside, as well as a bunch of others I haven't checked out yet.  Give it a shot!  I will definitely do it on a regular basis, and since it has plenty of room for growth, its something that can stay in my little toolbox for a long time.  Learn more about high-intensity interval training here and give it a shot when you find yourself in the middle of a run that needs a little spice.

Have a healthy day and a great weekend!

Stalking the UPS Man

I am so so so so so so so SOOOOOOO excited!  My GoWear Fit is arriving today, which I know because my minute-by-minute tracking of the package on Amazon.com tells me that as of 5:29 am today, it is on the truck and scheduled for delivery.  I can't believe I didn't take the day off so I could play with it right away. 

OMG I AM SO EXCITED!

GoWear Fit is a nifty little gadget that monitors (within some relative range of error of course, which I will ultimately ignore) all of your body's functions throughout the day.  Well, all the ones that I wonder about anyway.  So throughout the course of a day, it will measure your approximate calorie burn, changes in heart rate, and even your sleep patterns. At the end of the day, you can plug it into your computer and upload the data to determine your overall calorie burn throughout the day and whether you need more or less activity, how to better time your nutrition, and if your sleep quality is adequate for your goals.  I've been skeptically researching its value and accuracy since I first learned of it back in December, but after reading enough reviews and convincing myself that I deserve something pretty, I decided that the GoWear Fit will be the perfect addition to my obsessive-compulsive lifestyle. 

I've already informed my husband that I am going to be out of pocket for a while as I charge it up, install the software, and figure out how it works exactly, which ironically, I will need my husband to "help" me do (read: do for me as I impatiently stand by).  But it's okay, I think he is ready for a break from listening to me go on and on about how excited I am about it and updating him on the progress of the UPS man as he brings my little darling closer to me. I wonder if I could call the UPS man and ask what time he is going to be at my house.  Would that be creepy?  

Anyway, for all of you know-me-in-real-life types who are asking, "Heather, isn't this the LAST thing that a neurotic, fitness-obsessed, control-freaky data-analyzing over-achiever (not that there's anything wrong with that) like you needs?  Won't it just make you even crazier? Won't this just send you over the edge into a pit of potentially-flawed information that will ultimately drive you insane?"

I thought about that. And, it is a risk I am willing to take in the name of science.

Be sure to get your hopes up!

Method-Acting for Triathletes

So my brother, sister, brother-in-law,  husband, and I are doing a good old-fashioned family triathlon in September, the swimming portion of which will take place in the Gulf of Mexico, assuming it has not turned into a sewer by then.  I am planning to do the Olympic distance, which means the swimming leg will be double what I did in April, on top of battling the waves of the gulf instead of a relatively-placid lake and the added excitment of irritable jellyfish swimming around me instead of bored, unimpressed alligators.  Wow, I can't wait!


The last time I trained by just swimming in a pool.  But this time I need to get myself acclimated to swimming in rougher waters.  I saw a book called Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to Master Open-Water Swimming, which cracked me up because I couldn't imagine any method for learning open-water swimming that didn't require total immersion.  But luckily I don't think I will need to read it because a great guy I follow on Twitter called Iron Brandon posted a link to a very helpful video that cut to the chase pretty quick:

Having participated in a triathlon, I can attest to its accuracy.

Have a great weekend of training and of course, clean eating!  Be safe out there!

Good day!

Pen to Paper! This week's workout.

Ack! My head is swimming with deadlines this week and I need to get a workout schedule on paper - so here's what's on tap for me this week. How bout you?

Today - 45 mins elliptical intervals (while studying ACE Personal Cert stuff - multitasking at 4am!), then 25 mins bike intervals, some bicep/chest/hamstring stuff, and then I had to leave, sadly. I HAVE to start getting to work on time, yall. And I had to stop and pick up some greek yogurt for my afternoon snack. So...that means some sprint intervals at lunch before - you guessed it - Pilates. And that is Monday.

The rest of the week:

Tuesday: Spartacus circuit, 5-mile run, upper body class with Pomeroy (bring it), and...*maybe* some elliptical intervals if I need to study. And I need to study.

Wednesday: More elliptical/study (six weeks to test day!), cycling the hills, back/triceps/quads, and...that whole getting-to-work-on-time thingy. Bah. At lunch - Pilates. Ahhhh.....

Thursday: rest day! And a lower body class, cause you know I can't really rest.

Friday: long day! Spartacus, elliptical intervals, bike intervals, shoulders/calves/hip flexors, the dreaded plyometrics, and at lunch - sprint intervals and Pilates. Maybe an outside bike ride that afternoon if the weather is nice.

And soon I need to start swimming! Hmmmm, I can smell the chlorine already.

So... whaddya doing this week to be well?

About-Face

I'm a little bit known for being a motormouth.

I just blab all day long to anyone who will listen about whatever is on my mind, completely oblivious to the non-verbal "please stop" cues from people around me until its too late and I have already said too much. I embarrass my husband at parties, reveal waaaaay too much information, and typically work under the (usually false) assumption that everyone is on the edge of their seats to hear the thrilling conclusion to my story of the time my...well, never mind. That's not the point.

Usually this is fine, except on mornings like today, when I end up making this big statement, and then taking it back a few hours later. For example, this morning while I was standing around at the gym putting of doing more jump squats, I announced to the general population that I was contemplating taking a break from running for a while. I've been forcing it the last few weeks, and my runs have been pretty...crappy. At first I thought it was my old shoes, so I got new ones. I thought I needed a new route, so I ran one. I considered a new, peppier playlist, so I downloaded one. But no, I just wasn't that into running. So I took a break for a week and figured I'd enjoy it more after a few days off.

I didn't.

In fact, I wasn't even looking forward to running. I was just plain old burned out, finding myself craving long bike rides and not minding being on the elliptical instead of out in the fresh air soaking in endorphins. When I entered my third week of not wanting to run, I started to feel bothered...and a little guilty. I've worked hard at running for a long time, and I've just recently started to get better at it. Plus, let's get our priorities straight here, I really like how running makes my legs look. My gut was telling me that I needed a real break, longer than a week. But I'll admit that I was afraid of what that might mean. After all, there's a fine line between a running break and a running lapse, and an even finer line between a running lapse and me turning into Bitch Supreme.

But then I heard myself say it: "I think I am going to take a little break from running." It was out there. And once the words were out I the little panic voice in my head immediately wanted to go for a run. But, I didn't. I promised myself three weeks off, and if I wasn't ready to run by then I would check myself in for psychotherapy.

It was a little scandalous, not running. It felt a little like a vacation, having given myself permission to purposely ignore what has been a fundamental part of my workout for years. I did different cardio instead; I watched "Sober House" on the elliptical. That was interesting.

And then, a few hours later, I clicked on a link someone tweeted to see live coverage of the women running the Boston Marathon. I was pretty captivated. Not only did these women make running a marathon look effortless, they made my piddly little 3-mile morning runs seem like a trip to the mailbox. I watched their legs stretch ahead of them and then propel them forward, over and over and over and over, and became hypnotized by it. And then it clicked. I wasn't tired of running 3 miles a day, I was done running 3 miles a day. I wasn't tired of running, I was bored with it. I do need a break, but not a break from running. I need a break from running like a robot.

So half-marathon training it is. The beatings will continue until morale improves? Yeah, that's kind of how I roll. I'll take my three weeks off, and then it is game on. Thanksgiving Day, my first 15k.

Gulp. Anyone know of a good Couch to 15k podcast? :)