My First 5k

I must admit I was terrified when I heard that my company was signing up for the Sigma Corporate Run. I was never an active child, preferring the company of a book in a quiet corner to the fields of sport. I didn’t do so well in high school PE either, pretty much failing my way through, what with my clumsiness and laziness. I call myself a professional spectator, watching other people sweat and kill themselves while I cheer/yell from the couch.

I worried a lifetime of sedentariness would come back to haunt me, especially as I didn’t even begin to train for the event. But come race day, I was psyched and ready for action. My only goal was to finish on my two feet, not laid up in one of the ambulances there to take care of the sick and unfit. I didn’t plan to finish dead last, either!

I didn’t have any kind of strategy in mind as the group of walkers (what, you thought I ran??!!) set off to a house version of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ (I kid you not. KMT!). I had a walking partner, a friend of a friend, and she helped me keep pace. I tend to walk kind of fast naturally, so I was able to maintain a brisk rate throughout. I didn’t stop once, never cramped up or felt unable to continue. I told myself I could finish in under 90 minutes and that’s exactly what I did. I finished in just over an hour – 1:02:56, to be exact. AWESOME!!!!!

There were a couple times on the route that looking at the sea of people ahead of me was kind of intimidating, but I found myself wondering how many of them I could pass on the way. I began to target people – the little old ladies (come before me? Never!), mothers pushing babies in strollers (ditto), kids (no matter how much energy y’all have today, I’m passing you!!) and JPS and Student Loan Bureau workers (bun a fire!!!!) At the 4k mark, I got a sudden burst of energy and started going around the slowpokes and several of the people in the above categories.

As we came off Ruthven Road unto Half Way Tree Road and I could almost see the end, I sped up even more but, unfortunately, so did everybody else. Some of the people I had passed power-walked past me, including folks from the much-hated SLB, but I was undaunted. I had the finish line in my sights. I rank the moment I crossed it, arms outstretched like I had won the danged thing, right up there with my college graduation. I am extremely proud of myself and I wear my souvenir Sagicor ‘Finisher’ dog tag with all the pride of an Olympic gold medal. I earned it!

Of course, by the time I got home, all the tension had set in, meaning everything on my body that can hurt is still in pain.

This event marks a turning point for me. I actually dragged my aching bones out of bed at 6:15 this morning to walk and I must admit, after a rough patch, I felt pretty dang good! I’m going to use this momentum to kick-start Project Summer Body 2013, see how many of this extra poundage I can shed and clean up my eating habits, as I had pledged to do for my New Year’s resolution. I’m also thinking ahead to next year’s event. I’m not too keen on running, but I should be able to start jogging by the end of March (p-a-c-i-n-g myself). If I’m at the place I hope to be by then, I’ll definitely be taking my place on the left side of Knutsford Boulevard, heading north. The runners totally got the better music anyway, leading off to ‘Party Rock Anthem’!

Oh, and Reggae Marathon 2012 (ok, 10k. Not pushing it!), you're in my sights, too. Who's with me?

(Photo by Keresa Arnold, who insisted I credit her. Happy now, miss?) 

My Resolution - The 2012 Get Healthy Challenge

Ok y'all, I've officially gone bonkers. Or my brain has been hijacked by little brain-eating aliens. Either way, I've decided to take on a challenge for the new year - vegetarianism. Yes, my fellow carnivores, you read that correctly. But before you start wondering what's wrong with me (those of you who know my love affair with chicken), I'm only doing it for a month. February. Aha! See, I’m still sane.

This is in keeping with my big resolution for 2012, which is ‘Get Healthy’. That’s my one goal. As with my 2011 resolution, I won’t be setting any hard targets or definitive goals, which I believe come with unnecessary pressure. It’s just a general, progressive plan, a continuation of the original resolution. I’ve made some strides in being good to myself, so it’s time to be better.

While I’ve been working on the mind and spirit, I haven’t been as dutiful in taking care of the body and I plan to change that. This ‘get healthy’ plan of mine will encompass changing my horrible eating habits, which currently includes daily helpings of Burger King fries, a dessert or two per day, sugary cereals and practically no fruits and vegetables. Yikes!

I’m not going to become a health nut cold turkey, nor do I want to be a health nut in any way, shape or form. I just plan to decrease the junk and increase the good stuff. It will not be easy, trust me, because there are many healthy things that I do not and probably will never eat, like peas and beans. Will. Not. Eat. Those! But I have tried tomatoes and I’m ok. Granted, it was in a BK sandwich, smothered in mayo and ketchup and topped off with bacon. But I can see myself eating a tomato or two a week. Baby steps, right?

It will be harder to give up fries and sugars, but I will substitute most of my drinks with water, which I do most of the times, cut out soda once and for all, and have a small serving of fries occasionally. It will also mean losing the address of the nearest BK. Dammit! I did say this will not be easy… All of this, coupled with my meatless February experiment should get me on the road to a more healthy life.

And now, my very favourite part of the whole shebang – exercise. Aka TORTURE and self-flagellation. Ugh! Can I skip this part? No? Ok, I’ll get active. My job is pretty sedentary and I spend about four hours a day stick in traffic, so that’s about 12 hours of sitting daily. Not good. I’ll have to find something I’m interested in doing, like dancing or kickboxing or Pilates, anything that does not involve running or jogging. I. Do. NOT. Run. And jogging reminds me of PE, which I failed in high school. I don’t understand how people do those things! And walking is so boring. I walk every day. For my exercise, I want to do something new and exciting, even if that’s just loading a bunch of Zumba videos on Youtube and pretending I know what I’m doing. Plus, my company is signing up for the Sigma Run next year (I’m trying to talk my way out of it, but no dice), so I’ll have to be in some sort of shape to drag myself across the finish line before nightfall on February 19th.

So, what do you think folks? Anybody else making the resolution to get healthy or fit for the new year? Why not take this challenge with me? Forget the ‘lose 30 pounds by summer’ goals and take a series of small, calculated steps to improve your physical being. You will slip occasionally, but without the rigid deadlines and agendas, there will be less shame and self-hatred and you just might find it easier to accomplish the big goal. Of course, my own spectacular successes and abject failures will be documented here.

I’m not even going to TRY starting now, in the middle of the Christmas feasting season. And you shouldn’t either. Not if your grandmother cooks half as well as mine! But practicing moderation in your eating from now should set you up nicely for the 2012 Get Healthy Challenge. Let’s go!