The Goal

So let's lay it out on 'paper.' What do I want to accomplish and when? This is what I need to be accountable. I'll be honest, a personal trainer, particularly one who was at my house at 5:15 a.m. to get me out of bed, would be the most effective way to be accountable. But I'll settle for this blog/journal that I haven't made public...yet.

I am working with a training program for couch-to-5k that I found online. They set workouts 3x a week for 9 weeks and by the end, you'll be running 5k. I would prefer to workout 4x a week and I'm planning on doing that, thus shortening the actual weeks down to 6ish. I want to stay healthy, so I'll pay close attention to my knees especially and will take downtime as needed. But my aim will be 4 walk/runs a week. This will put me well within range of my first running goal.

#1) Complete a 5k run by the end of July.

I would love to be able to double that by my birthday. That's a 10k by September. Too much too soon? Maybe. I think I will wait to set my next goal until I reach my first goal. That's not usually my style. I am a planner! I love to plan plan plan. I love planners, I love writing everything in my planner. I love writing things I've already done in my planner so that I can cross off things in my planner. That can set you up for failure though. When I'm falling behind in the 70th goal while still working on the goal #1 it makes me quit before even giving myself a chance! So, not this time. This time I will be a reasonable planner and focus on one thing at a time to give myself the best chance to reach the goal!

Why Running?

So it started with a dream. How cliche! But really, I had a dream where I was running...for a really really long time...and I felt like I could run forever...and I really liked how that felt! When I remembered it the next day it just occurred to me that I could work towards that. Not that I want to be able to run forever, or even run a full-blown marathon, but maybe I could train and run at least 5k. Maybe from there I could work on running a 10k. And who knows from there!

I don't come from a running family. My husband just told me today that he has no desire to run...ever. He says that that's why he has a car. My dad has been heard to say that if human beings were supposed to run we would all have 4 legs. So needless to say, it isn't in my blood. I have one lone aunt (shout-out to Janet!) who has done the Chicago marathon and as I read more and more I realize just how awesome of an accomplishment that really was and just how underwhelmed most of the family was when she did it. I'll take this moment to say AWESOME JOB Janet! But other than that, not much running in this family! I've even had a physical therapist tell me I might not be able to run. Something about soft knees or soft cartilage or soft something (Yes I am an RN, no I do not deal with knees or cartilage. I work further north...) So these are all the reasons that I shouldn't run, with the biggest one being that I have always said I couldn't run.

Let's just forget all about those and move on to the reasons I want to run. Okay, I admit, I feel like runners are in an elite club and I really want to join. They seem to have their own language, way of moving, body type, etc. I've already mentioned my desire to be healthy. This will only help! I didn't mention how much I want to set a good example for my kids by exercising and eating right. That is a huge motivation to me. Plus, and this is a big reason, I am turning 30 in September! THIRTY! Yikes! So I've got a career I love, co-workers I also love, my wonderful husband and kids, what else do I need? This is it, this personal goal that first and foremost I am setting for me. Time set aside to focus on me and something that I want to work towards.

I know this is going to be hard. I also know that I'll probably never feel the way I felt in that dream when I run. I'll be breathing much heavier, be more red in the face, and way sweatier than I was in that dream. But I know that the sense of accomplishment that will come with achieving this new goal will be huge and that is why I'm running!

Why Raw?

Why raw.... that is truly a question with many answers. For some it's all about the science behind going raw, the amazing health benefits, and changing their lives for the better. I agree with all of those reasons although I'm certainly not a 'hard-core' raw foodie. Why do I eat raw for 2/3 of my day? To put it simply, I think it's easy and I know it's healthy.

I was introduced to raw eating through a friend who has been doing it for 3+ years. She drastically changed her lifestyle and eating raw was part of that change. She does raw until 5pm and then has a normal dinner. I was always intrigued by the diet and I even entertained trying it a few years ago. It wasn't until recently that it really appealed to me and I've worked towards 2/3 raw ever since!

If you know me, than you know I love food. I'm married to a chef- hard not to be a foodie in this household. But ever since we added a second baby, with the toddler at about 3, it's been busy on top of busy. As much as I love food, what I really love to have time to sit down and eat, to really enjoy what I'm eating. This just isn't possible in my days now. Remember that scene from Christmas Story where he says his mom hasn't had a hot meal in 'x' number of years? That's how I feel a lot of the time. And when I do get the boys down for a nap simultaneously, which is a rare and precious thing, I almost always just want to lay down and nap myself! So since I'm not taking the time to prepare and then sit and enjoy a meal, why not just grab something healthy and quick that just also happens to be raw?

So what do I actually eat during the day? Well, please remember that I'm not a raw purist....I still enjoy my coffee in the morning. From the time I wakeup until about 5pm I usually stick to fruits, raw almonds, and raw bars. For now, that is satisfying and works for me. When I get bored with that I'll probably start doing more exploring and perhaps write about it! But it has to be fast because that's why I'm raw!