Trying Something New

A week or so ago, I read a blog about setting goals. Now, I'm naturally a goal-oriented person and I work in a goal-directed job. Spinning my wheels, just hoping to get somewhere, has never really done it for me - no offense to all you Type Bs out there! I've been to multiple trainings on goal setting, from establishing S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely), to defining personal vision, mission, and daily objectives, to breaking down 20-, 10-, and 5-year goals into daily steps to reach those! I've used every time organizer and project planner on the market, and, in my humble opinion, I'm pretty darn organized. I find my target, and I hit it.

In this particular SparkPeople blog, however, something jumped out at me. It said something like this: "Make your goal more specific than 'Work out 5 times a week.'"

Well, that's usually been my fitness goal: Work out 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 times a week. So I got to thinking: What kind of goal is this, really? How is this goal going to motivate me to get up and actually work out on Day 7 of the 42nd week when I'm just too exhausted to care? "Well, I've got 293 workouts under my belt; skipping just one won't hurt..." That reasoning is why I'm having to get BACK in shape to begin with! So, I decided to set a new goal, one completely out of the blue. In that same blog, a link to Active.com was provided. I checked it out, and found just what I needed: a 5K race.

I've never considered myself a runner. Heck, I grew up with exercise induced asthma! Laps around the baseball field in junior high made me cry, and in high school I managed to waive P.E. altogether, in favor of marching band! My fitness routine has always been immensely private: no one needs to see those thighs! But at 40 years old, I'm ready to shake things up. I've got at least 40-50 more years on this planet (I'm actually pushing for 80 more, shooting for a grand total of 120), and why hide behind a self-esteem damaged by wobbly thighs? In addition, I'm able to link my passion for social work with a race that supports a nearby community's faith-based social service network.

My training regimen starts the day after tomorrow. For the next 8 weeks, I'll be taking my living room fitness and pounding it out on the road, and on May 1, I'll be in my very first race. (I can't believe I'm actually PAYING to run!) Sure, it's only 5 kilometers - what is that, about 3-1/2 miles? But after 5K comes a 10K, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll cross the finish line of the L.A. Marathon!

I plan to write a little bit about my training experience everyday, and post pictures along with it, so you can share my journey with me. I hope you'll follow along and be my virtual cheerleaders, because I'll need all the encouragement I can get! And if you're inclined to pray, please support me with that, as well, because I'll need all the grace I can get to be up, pounding the rural pavement at 5:00 every morning! Physical training may not be as valuable as spiritual training, but the added energy from being physically fit certainly helps with the spiritual training!

Here's to upping my Spark!