Out of the Comfort Zone

Feeling stuck in a rut can be frustrating.  You feel like you're working your butt off, and you've hit this limit...you can't get over the hump.

Maybe it's that you want the scale to drop 5 more lbs. and you just aren't making any more progress.  You're doing the same things...eating right, breaking a good sweat 30 minutes 3-5 times a week, and nothing more is happening.

Maybe you set a goal to run a certain distance, but you feel like you can't run another step if you tried.  Getting past that 3 mile or 6 mile mark seems crazy.

It's the "comfort zone".  I am the queen of Loving my Comfort Zone.  It's such a predictable place.  I never have to worry about what will happen, or how it's going to happen.  It is what it is in my little Comfy Place.

In my Zone, I have a Shakeology shake in the morning.  I add 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk and 1/4 cup of water with 12 ice cubes.  13 ice cubes, and it won't blend without adding more water.  11 ice cubes and it's too thin.

I have a bowl of cereal and some raisins for lunch.  Cheerios, Rice Squares...I love the Chocloate Cheerios!  Sometimes I have an orange too, or a Nutra Grain Bar...occasionally I'll go for a 6 inch Subway sub...occasionally.

For dinner - oooh, this is the scary part - dinner is NOT comfy.  I struggle with planning out dinner meals.    It's too unpredictable...I need to work on dinner big time.

Working out in my Zone is VERY predictable.  I have a set 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mile run that I do without fail.  I rarely branch out and run somewhere different or switch up my route too much.  I love knowing exactly how far I have left to go, and now a days, how much longer I have to get to certain land marks.

It's time to BREAK FREE!!  Yesterday I went my usual 6 mile route.  Not very interesting.  But...I had my best run to date, and I was uncomfortable the entire time!  It was Awesome!

From the get go, out my front door I had decided to push it just a little more than usual.   What did I have to lose?  If all else failed, I could walk, right?  I went for it; starting out much past my comfortable -just get into the groove at the beginning of the run- kind of start.

I remembered the days back in college, swimming hard.  Really hard, and pushing myself to the limit.  I  wanted to see if I still had it in me.  I actually felt a little glimmer of that feeling again.  I loved feeling exhausted and done.  When I hit the end of my run, I was Done, out of breath, my legs were Tired, and it was cool!

Is it necessary to push the limit of comfort for every workout from now on?  NO!  That would wear and tear so fast...but more frequently I plan to just Go For It!  Now that I know that it's possible to run just a little faster for a little longer, it's not such a scary thought.

How do you break free from your comfort zone?  


Is it hard for you to deviate from your normal routine?

Looking Good

This is one of the inspirational quotes circulating the web.  I found this on Pinterest and I think it's pretty cute.  For all those who are stylish and have trendy and cute workout clothes, this is a funny little saying.

You start out looking like you're going to tear it up...and then you end up looking like you tore it up, right!!

I must have missed the memo on the part where you are supposed to start off looking cute in order to have something to compare to at the end of your  workout.

Something went bad wrong this morning when I suited up for my 10 miles.  I was under the impression that everything was just fine; right before I left Sweet J said, "Mom, you look fabuwous!"  There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in her voice when she said this, however she must have been lying through her adorable little teeth.

Hubby shot this picture with his phone before I left.   I'm not sure why he, also let  me leave looking like a deranged frog.

Oh yes.  I spent 1 hour and 30 minutes running through town looking like an alien from another planet.

What you can't see in the picture are my light baby blue fingerless gloves.  Those really pull the neon green and the forest green together.

Of course this was the run where I ran into actual people that I know along the way, driving in their cars probably wondering if I lack mirrors in my house!

However, I am glad I had my Camel Back for this run.  I don't know why I haven't been using it all along!  I think it really helped.  A few weeks ago I dropped my water bottle and it rolled under a parked truck about 1 mile in.  I hadn't even had a sip yet!  So this worked out much better.

This is the one I have and I really like it.  There are different styles of course: a back pack style and one with a water bottle instead of the water pack and hose straw.

Oh Yes, I almost forgot!!  Once I reached my destination at the end of my run, I unhooked my Camel Back and discovered that somewhere along the way I got dive bombed by a bird.  A bird pooped on the front of my shirt while I was running.  I had no idea!  How did that happen without me knowing it? I got pooped on.

Special thanks to my Mom and Dad...mom, for providing me with the plastic bag to put my bird shirt in, and Dad for driving my sweaty self home!

I mean, am I the only one who just can't pull a cute workout outfit together?  


Do you make sure to hydrate before, durning, and after a workout?  I found that during is one of the times I pay least attention to and it's probably most important! 

Couch to Pavement in No Time

I just wanted to share a couple of web sites that I have been drawn to when it comes to training programs for running.

ANYBODY can run for fitness.  You don't have to have ever run a day in your life, to begin feeling the benefits of the sport...today...I mean actually from a sitting or even laying position on your comfy couch, to running in a 5K race by spring!

There really is a Couch to 5K running program that is a 9 week training schedule.  It tells you what to do, day by day starting, literally from your couch, to running a 5K.

Also, I've used the insights of Hal Higdon to train for my select few races.  His web site, halhigdon.com is great.
He's got training schedules for the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced runners and walkers for Half and Full Marathons.
He's got online downloads and even Apps for your IPad or IPod to keep with you.  It's pretty neat.

There's nothing better than setting a goal, and accomplishing it.  Especially if it took a lot of really hard work to get there.

There are also a couple of sites I love to go to once I have a run under my belt.  Places like Map My Run and The Daily Mile will help you to do a few important things:

• You can map a run or a walk route to keep track of your mileage
• You can record your time and track your progress
• You can record how you felt on any specific route to compare with other times
• The Daily Mile will record  your total mileage for the week and for the year!  That's pretty cool to see!
• You can also connect with other runners and walkers that may or may not be in your area doing the same things as you.  It helps with accountability and it's nice to have some sort of support group.

I guess the hardest thing in everyone's busy schedule, is to find the spare time to start something new.  Putting one more thing on your plate sounds way too complicated.

These sites will teach you how to ease into a training routine.  You won't be thrown to the dogs.  And, after you've begun to see improvements, and are starting to feel really great...you will FIND the time to keep it up!

Do you know of any other great sites with training programs that you've used or are using now?