Confessions Of A Shameful Runner

 

I have a confession to make:  I am a shameful runner and have been for years.

Let me explain…

My running journey started out in 2006 when I experienced my first heartbreak.  With no prior heart healing experiences to call on, I turned to running to get through it.   Slowly, I started out running at a 12 minute pace and eventually worked into a comfortable 10 minute mile, where I stayed for years and years to come.

During the 365 days of sweat challenge, I shaved off another minute, leaving me hanging tight at a 9 minute mile.   It’s a pace I’m comfortable with and rarely do I speed up or slow down.  It wasn’t until I created My Sweat Project on Facebook and Instagram that I noticed how intense some runners are and that I was incredibly far from running like them.

My old running obsession.

This longing was causing me to feel shame within my running self.   For months I started tracking my runs on NikePlus and would gauge my running ability off of my times and those of others.  The pressure I was putting on myself was making me fall out of love with something I truly enjoy.  Not only that, I started ditching my running partner, Journey, because she slowed me down.    It felt horrible.

After months of dodging running as much as possible I decided to try out a 60 day running streak.   Feeling inspired by my little goal, I ran 3 miles everyday for the first four days with my favorite running accessory:  a little black dog and my iPod (sans the running tracker).  Day 5 it was wicked cold, which helped me decide to skip my outdoor run since I don’t belong to a gym

That run skipping day invoked this simple thought, “I get to create what my running looks like and make it fun again.”  With that, I want to give my new running rules ideas:

• No timed runs.
• Bring Journey.
• 5 days off out of 60

New running style.

Three small things change the way I view running.  I’ll keep up with this for the next 60 days and see if I can fall back in love with the sport.   Low pressure = bigger gain.

Is there something that you can do to make working out more fun and less stressful?  I challenge you to find a version that feels the best to you and ditch the stress.  More fun means you’ll stick with it longer.  Promise.

Please share with other readers what works for you in the comment section below.  Now get to some sweating that you truly enjoy!

Kick Holiday Weight Gain To The Curb This Year

 

Make this November about health, not extra servings of pie.

The average American gains 5 lbs during the holiday and most people never lose the extra lbs.  That’s right, it stays on year after year after year…

Scary, isn’t it?

 

Make this the year that you beat this scary statistic and make a commitment to your body that you can be proud of.

 

This November the inspirational, Sam Lambooy of Slambooy Fitness and Betsy Fry of Find Food Peace and 365 Days of Sweat are hosting a “November Workout Challenge.”  Instead of hibernating as the days get shorter and colder, choose to workout everyday in November and take charge of your health.

 

Here’s the rundown:

 

• Workout everyday in November.
• You choose the intensity, duration and type of workout.
• Post what you did in the Facebook group “My November Workout Challenge.”
• Take photos of your workout and post them on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #activenovember and find all the other people around the world participating (seriously, we already have an Aussie and a Brit!).
• Be an advocate for health and invite your friends/family to join you!
• A free conference call for all participants led by Sam Lambooy and Betsy Fry.  We will be giving tips, encouragement, inspiration and answering all questions.

 

Are any of these reasons why you don’t want to participate:

 

• November is the best month for eating and starting off my winter hibernation the right way!
• The holidays are the ultimate diversion from my health goals.
• I’ll start working out again after the family season ends.
• It’s too cold/dark/snowy outside and I hate being confined to the gym.
• I have been thinking about committing to a regular workout regimen, but it’s too hard to commit to anything during the holidays.
• I intend on being in a tryptophan coma all month.
• There will be too much traveling/family time/shopping/stress to try to include working out.

 

If any of these sound familiar to you, then take a risk and let go of your excuses.  We challenge you to leap out of your comfort zone for one month.

 

 

Now that you’ve read all about the challenge, it’s time to make a wholehearted commitment to yourself.  All you have to do is write “I’m so down to sweat!” in the comment section below.   Once you do this, we will add you to the Facebook support group and answer any questions or calm any fears you may have.

 

Welcome to the challenge!   We are so happy to have you!

 

With sweaty love,

 

Betsy Fry and Sam Lambooy

5k Update & A New Summer Challenge

June is coming to an end, which means that the 5k running challenge will be left in Colorado’s fire’y-ist month.   I wanted to share a quick update on how I did, or did not do.

The first 20 days I ran everyday (except for a day I went hiking for a few hours instead).  On the 21st day I had a dermatology appointment, which resulted in taking off a few suspicious moles and made my running come to a screeching halt.  You can read about that scary experience here.

As I was allowing my new wounds to heal, I dusted off my hybrid bike and rode around the local reservoir.  Less impact = less pain.  Everyday I went between 10-17 miles.   Good enough to keep me feeling active when I was supposed to be inactive.

Now that a week has gone by, I was able to run again today.  I went out for 3 miles and felt like I had lost whatever strength I had accumulated in the first 20 days.   I was baffled by how quickly it can be lost.

A new month is approaching and I am setting a new goal:  30 days of running or core power yoga everyday.  A mini 30 day sweat challenge sounds like a good idea!   The first 20 people that commit to doing a 30 day sweat challenge will get a complimentary life coaching session!   Write “SIGN ME UP!” in the comment section below or if you’re shy, shoot me an email betsy@betsyfrycoaching.com

What are you doing to stay in shape this summer?  Do you have specific goals that are helping you to stay on the fitness track?  Publicly declare those goals in the comment section below and I’ll help hold ya accountable.

How Consistency Can Change Your Health

Today is Day 10 of the June 5k running challenge that I am taking in part in and I thought it was time for a quick update.

I have always used RunKeeper to keep track of my runs on my phone (via GPS) and have recently switched to NikePlus because it shows an outline of my running course.  How cool is that?  Technology is awesome.

Here are my average pace/per mile times for the identical 3.14 mile run the past 10 days:

• Day 1:  9’32″/mile
• Day 2:  9’26″/mile
• Day 3:  9’24″/mile
• Day 4:  9’20″/mile
• Day 5:  9’22″/mile
• Day 6:  9’18″/mile
• Day 7:  9’13″/mile
• Day 8:  9’26″/mile
• Day 9:  Opps!  Went hiking for 2.5 hours instead!
• Day 10:  8’58″/mile

It’s interesting to me that although my times are not always improving, that I am still getting faster.  Consistency has been my best friend these past 10 days and I want to challenge you to add some sort of consistent workout into your life.  If you’re new to the ball game, here are some options to ease you into a healthier lifestyle:  walk for 20 minutes per day, try the couch to 5k running program, complete a yoga video in the privacy of your own home, take the steps at work (every time you leave your office).  Start small and see how it works.  And be gentle to yourself if you slip-up (see Day 9 above).  Just get back on the horse and pickup where you left off. 

Do you have a consistent workout schedule that you love?  Have one that you have been wanting to try?  Leave a comment in the section below and share what works for you or what you think sounds awesome!   Your gold nugget fitness tip could work for someone else too!

New Year, New Workout

Wowsers, it has been way too long since I have logged on and I apologize. The good news is, I bet that everyone has been so busy creating their goals for 2013 that you might not have noticed my hiatus. Maybe that is just wishful thinking! Regardless, happy new year and I hope you’ve set some powerful intentions for the year!

The last few weeks I had to take a hiatus from working out. I had a minor surgery that required me to sit on the sidelines for a few weeks. This happened a few days before Christmas and I am definitely not complaining. I could not think of a better time of the year for a doctor to tell me to “take it easy.” Although I cut out yoga and running, I stuck to at least a 30 minute walk with Journey everyday.

Now that I am able to do whatever my body would like, I decided to try something really challenging. 365 days of working out was challenging in the endurance sense, but I wanted something to push my physical limits in a new way. My husband kept hearing me talk about the Insanity workout videos and got them for me for Christmas. Bless him/curse him! I was able to start them three days ago…OH MY DARN GOODNESS! I’d add in some expletives, but I do not think WordPress would think highly of that.

The first day was the “fitness test.” I almost gave up two minutes into it, figuring I was never going to be able to do these workouts. The only thing that kept me going was a facebook comment from a friend that said, “get through day three of it and you will love it.” I was really holding onto that comment like it was the holy word!

After I was done with the fitness test I went for a run. The next day, my legs felt like jello. I liked that feeling and I wanted more of it. I decided that I will stick to the 60 day Insanity program and add in 3 days of yoga per week, along with a walk with Journey for at least 30 minutes per day. To keep track of this, I have created a spreadsheet that I will hang in the basement to keep me motivated.  It sounds like a lot when I write it out, but in actuality, Insanity takes place in our basement for 30-40  minutes and the walks are just for fun. The yoga is added in there to keep my mind clear and to stay centered.

Today I had a huge realization that made me run to my computer when I was done insaning. The first two days of Insanity I felt like I looked like a baboon trying to Zumba. The image I was creating of myself working out was not pretty. It was actually so bad that it was making me slack in fear of what I looked like. It sounds so silly to write, but my hunch is that you so know what I am talking about. After two days of allowing that negative thinking to affect my body physically, I decided to change my tune.

For my workout today, I decided I was going to act like I was one of the buff chicks in the video. Not only did I not feel like a Zumba’ing baboon, I felt like I belonged with the people in the video. It was still insanely challenging, however, I was able to power through with a lot more stamina when I let go of the negative thoughts.

This same mentality can be applied to every aspect of life. I know that I did not just stumble across something that no one has ever heard before. I just saw the result of it play out in my life in such a potent way that I knew I had to share it. Try it out on your next workout, client call, first date, conversations with strangers, etc. Replace your negative thought with something empowering and see what happens.

If it works, send me a line and let me know how it goes. Happy new year, happy thoughts!

Get Moving Colorado!

I promised to continue updating the blog with lots of goodies once the workout challenge finished and I have been slacking.  I hope that this makes up for it and provides some of you with some new running goals to get you through the winter season.

Day 365: It’s a Done Deal!

Day 365:  Day 365 is here!   I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the love, support and encouragement this past year.  It has meant more to me than I thought possible.  A simple note from a stranger was enough to keep me going for a week, so thank you, thank you, thank you.  A really special thank you goes out to my loving husband who cheered me on every day.  Without him, there were times that I was not sure I would have been able to make it through.

I chose to end my year of working out the exact same way that I started this madness one year ago– except with more people there to love on me.  Mike and I ran 3 miles in Washington Park and then he dropped me off at Karma Yoga for a 75 minute Anusara yoga class with three of my friends.  I know that the instructor was great, but I was not able to concentrate on the words of wisdom that she was sending out due to overwhelming excitement of a goal coming to fruition.

After the class Michael was waiting for me in the car with flowers, a card and a donut (he knows the way to my heart).  We kissed, he told me how proud he is and then we talked about the last year over a cup of coffee at a nearby coffee shop.  It was the perfect way to end a year of lots of sweat, some tears and an overwhelming amount of love.

Here I am today, 365 days later, with a huge accomplishment under my belt and a lot less fat.   I thought it would be a good time to answer the questions that I have been asked over and over again in the last year, “Do you feel different?  Are you going to keep up with it?  Have you lost weight?  What are you going to do on your first day off?  What did you learn?  What are you going to do next?”

Now that I’ve had a year to reflect on all of these questions, I’d like to answer them as honestly as possible.

Do you feel different?  Yes, I do.  My body now physically craves working out on a daily basis.  Even more importantly, so does my being.  I know that it is the best way to elevate my day into a more blissed out state.  If I’m in a funk, it pulls me out.  If I’m not, it makes me feel better.  Almost every time.  I think that makes it all worth it.  Not to mention that every time I choose to workout over not working out, I am choosing to love myself more by making my health a priority.  If that’s not motivation, I’m not sure what is.

If you’re wondering if my body feels different, then I am also happy to report that yes, it does feel different.  Everything feels tighter and in a better place.  My arms and love handles have shrunk down (aka my “bad” spots).   Again, the mental piece plays a bigger role than the physical here.  I feel self-assured in a way that I have never felt before.  Regardless of what my body looks like I know that it is capable of far more than I ever would have imagined.

Are you going to keep up with it?  Yes and no.  There were days that I had to wakeup at 3 a.m. to workout or complete a workout that I was not fond of just to try to fit it into my day.  Those are the types of workouts that I usually do not support.  If doing it makes me upset and it feels unnatural (physically or with my schedule), then I’d rather save up my energy for a great workout the next day.

However I will make the time do it the majority of the week.  I’d like to say that I will stick with working out six days per week.  I know how important working out is to my state of being now and I’ll continue it in a way that feels natural to me.  With a lot less writing and more time sweating!

Also, by no means do I recommend this for everyone.  Potentially it could turn you off from working out and make you run away from your fitness goals.  Rather, set a goal for yourself that is attainable.  Once you attain it, reach higher and then higher….you’ll get to your own 365 days before you know it.

Have you lost weight?  This is the question that I receive the most from strangers.  I think it’s interesting that people care so much about the weight side of it.  From the very beginning of this I have stressed that it has nothing to do with weight and everything to do with a commitment to myself.   Since there is a lot of interest in this, I will answer it honestly.  I have lost 9 lbs over the course of the year.   I was happy with my weight 9 lbs ago and I am just as happy as I am right now.

What will you do on your first day off?   I was not thinking that I would take tomorrow off, but as I type away in my pretty new office my mind keeps drifting to a day filled with movies, a fluffy robe, a hot bath and perhaps a manicure and pedicure.  But those are just some ideas…

What did you learn?   I cannot sum up what I have learned in one paragraph or even in ten pages.  What I can tell you is what I think is the most important thing I learned;  listen to your body, it knows the answers to whatever you are seeking.   If you’ve been reading this blog, then I am sure you are not surprised to hear me say that.

By physically being connected to my body this past year I have been able to listen to what it wants me to do.  I am a firm believer that the body knows the answer to things more so than the mind.  The mind can get clouded by what society wants us to do/not do, look like/not look like.  But the body?  Oh it knows what it craves, you just have to learn how to tune into that.  If you want to learn how to do that more, send me an email, I’d be happy to walk you through some insider tips.

What are you going to do next?  I am going to keep this blog as a way to connect with the community that has been created in the last year.  I will update it every so often with workouts that I think should be shared, recipes, quotes, guest writers and coaching advice.  However, the majority of time and energy will be spent creating my new coaching website that will have its own blog.  It is in the works right now and I will make sure to share it with you when it’s launched in the next few weeks.

As a closing statement I want to reiterate how grateful that I am for you.  Your love and encouragement led me on groggy runs, pushed me through sweaty sculpt classes and told me to keep going everyday.  You’re the voice I will continue to hear when I feel like giving up and for that, I am ever grateful.

Days 360-363: The End of an Era

Day 363: After two and a half years at lululemon, I am sad to say that last Sunday I put in my two weeks notice to leave the company.  The part-time job  took me from an HR world filled with Fenway Franks and a lonely heart to a world filled with deep breathing, living with intention and more black luon than any one person should ever own.   The job has filled my life with more love, friends and happiness than I could have ever imagined.  It was one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make, however I felt like all the signs in the world have been pointing at me to go coach full-time.  Although it’s incredibly hard for me to do, I knew it was time.

Now I am filling my mind with how to get through the transition by filling my home office with as much happiness as I have gained in the last 2.5 years.  Hopefully I can send that on to my future clients.

With that being said, I went to my last staff meeting on Thursday morning and started with a 45 minute yoga flow led by my amazing co-worker, Jessica Lapham.  She led us through lots of community breathing and inspirational messages that made me teary-eyed for the newest transition in my life.

After work was done that day I came home and went on a quick 20 minute run to make me feel more at home in my home.

Day 361: On Friday I went for a 30 minute run in the snowy morning and was wondering the entire time what happened to Fall?  We seemed to have skipped that season in Denver this year!

Day 362:  Yesterday morning was another one of those, “how the heck am I going to fit in a workout?” type of days.  It really rattles me to the core when I feel stressed about how I will find the time, however, it always works out.  I took Mike to work at 6 a.m. and then went straight to Pura Vida gym for 45 minutes of cardio, followed by 15 minutes of weights and 10 minutes of abs.  Phew, got it in.

Day 363:  This afternoon my friend Katie and I went to my favorite Core Power Yoga on Broadway for a C2 class.  She introduced me to yoga five years ago by taking me to Pura Vida, where I fell on my face attempting crow pose in my first class.   After I let go of my ego, I eventually came back to the practice and it’s now changed my life in a way I never would have thought possible.  Namaste Katie, Namaste.

Days 353-357: Suburbia Blur

Day 353:  As my last few days as a city girl were approaching, nostalgia hit like a ton of bricks with every city block I crossed.  With all of my reflecting I realized that most of my favorite city things involve working out- Washington Park, Karma Yoga, Wash Perk coffee house (which I go to as a treat after I sweat) and Cherry Creek Trail.  For my loving city farewell I decided to take advantage of all of those things and some of my newer budding friendships.

Thursday I met up with an old friend, Katie, and a new friend, Jessica for a 90 minute flow at Karma Yoga.  With an old friend and a new friend (who both happen to be beautiful yoga instructors) practicing so close I realized how yoga has helped me cultivate some of the greatest friendships in my life.  For that, this city gal is ever grateful.

Day 354: Friday was closing day on the house!  I got up at 6:30 and ran to and around Washington Park for a total of 5.5 miles.  I could talk about how at every turn I said “ahh, this is my last time taking this turn while living in the city,” but I won’t bore you with that.

Day 355:  Moving Day!!  Mike and I got up at 5:30 a.m to pack, pick up a moving truck, load up our storage unit, then load up our apartment, stop for a pizza break with our saint friends who helped us all day, and finally unloaded everything at the new digs.  Throughout the day I think the moving team got really sick of me saying “this is what real crossfit is baby!”  Seriously, I said it a lot and nobody ever laughed.*

*Not even when I was doing “wall balls” with bags of pillows and throwing them in the truck.  Shocking…really.

Day 356:  Unpack, unpack, unpack and cleaned the old apartment from floorboards to the ceiling.  I was one stinky kid.  Again, “this is what real crossfit is baby!”  Did you laugh the second time?

Day 357:  Although the house is still not done, I decided I needed to take a real workout break this morning.  I laced up my kicks and headed out for my first suburbia run.  It’s definitely different.  No panhandlers, just kids.  Lots of speed walkers and very few runners.  Bunny rabbits every where I look and no stray cat to greet me at the door…just my own blissed out Jack.  After my run I went to my basement and setup my “home gym,” that will probably get a lot of use this winter.  Life really is different, but I think I’m going to like these rabbits and lots of sunlight that fills the entire house all day long.

Days 349-352: One Neon Necklace, Countless Tears

Day 349:  On Sunday morning my co-worker Sam and I went to OMG Fitness Concert at the Denver Coliseum.  I had no idea what it was or what to expect, so naturally I googled it and found this video that terrified that crap out of me.   It looked like a lot of dancing with hundreds of skilled people around while I was sober (that being the key point).  To say I was scared was an understatement.  The worst that could happen is that I would look like a dancing fool…not that bad, right?

When we got there Sam got splashed by the glow in the dark paint and I stuck with the glow in the dark necklace.  I had every intention to ditch it quickly and try to blend in somewhere in the back row.  Unfortunately that is not what happened.  Within the first 30 seconds of the class starting, Sam dragged me to the front row that was full of enthusiastic worker-outers (who made me look reserved) .  After I got over my fear of shaking what my momma gave me in front of at least 500 people, I started having fun.   I let go.  I let go of what I thought I looked like, listened to the music, boot-camped it up while dancing to the tunes.

I have a feeling my description of the event does not make sense and that’s okay.  I’m still confused too.  What I do know though is that fear only exists in the mind.  Once you break that barrier (or it’s broken for you by a loving man named Sam), then the fear stays in the past.   Move forward, dance up a storm and forget your fears.

Day 350:  On Monday Mike and I went for an hour-long walk through Wash Park for our last stroll together in the city before the big move on Saturday.  It was a nice reminder of why I will always love the city life, but am ready to move on for now.

Day 351:  Monday evening I got some devastating news that an acquaintance had died over the weekend in a horrible accident.  The young woman was a great friend to one of my closest friends and my heart was instantly broken for everyone effected by the tragedy.   It reminded me how precious life is and how grateful I am to have another day here.

I decided to grab my phone and call everyone I love until someone picked up- a phone roulette.  I first talked to my oldest brother for 30 minutes and then my Dad for another 30.  After that, I saw my husband out for a walk and we strolled around the neighborhood together for  20 minutes.  It was the only good way that I knew how to end such a sad day.

Day 352:  As we approach the closing day on our house I am finding that I have less and less time to fit in a workout.  Today I rode my bike to and from work and tagged on a few extra miles for good measure.   Bike commuting: two birds, one stone. #perfection