Back on track!

The deed is done! I'm officially registered to walk the 4 Bridges Half Marathon in Chattanooga in October. LeeAnn and I have been talking about it for awhile, and now we're all official and stuff. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I can't allow myself to have any doubt about whether or not I can actually accomplish this since I completed a similar task once already this year.

Yup, that's right. Two half marathons in one year. That's certainly not a goal I ever thought I'd accomplish. Isn't it amazing how quickly goals can change?

 This time last year I don't think I'd even considered applying for Covenant's Biggest Winner Marathon team. One simple decision that truly changed my life, my habits, and my goals. If anyone's interested they're currently accepting applications for next year's team! If you've even considered it once ... go for it!

In the last year I've gained strength, courage, determination, not to mention some amazing friends whom I couldn't imagine my life without.

Anyway ... back to Chattanooga. The good thing is that we've never stopped our walking routine, so we're in pretty good shape starting back with our distance training. Here's our basic guide we're going to follow (thanks to Coach Kane's training guide):

Week 1 (Sept. 1): 3-4 miles

Week 2 (Sept. 8): 3 ½ - 5 miles

Week 3 (Sept. 15): 4 ½ - 6

Week 4 (Sept. 22): 5 ½ - 7

Week 5 (Sept. 29): 7 – 9

Week 6 (Oct. 6): 7 ½ - 10

Week 7 (Oct. 13): 9 – 11 miles

Week 8 (Race Day on Sunday):

Monday (Oct. 15): Rest day if you are feeling really tired.

Tuesday (Oct. 16): Easy 20–35 minute walk

Wednesday (Oct. 17): 2 – 4 miles.

Thursday (Oct. 18): Fifteen minute light workout and stretch well. Be drinking more water and eating good sources of carbohydrates over the next few days.

Friday (Oct. 19): Off.

Saturday, Oct. 20: Walk around 10 –20 minutes at an easy pace. Make sure you know what the last one or two miles of the course look like. Hydrate yourself well the night before the race.

Oct. 21: Sunday:  Race Day!  Good luck and have fun.

So there you have it ... my next couple of months in a nutshell! I'm so glad that I've been keeping up with my workouts and strength training -- even though it's nothing compared to our group workouts with Chris. The foundation of strength has really helped me realize that this training shouldn't be too bad! 

I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about getting back into training ... just some parting wisdom from Pinterest.

Setting new goals

Well, it's official, I'm signing up to walk another half marathon. Sunday, October 21, 2012, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Seven Bridges Marathon/Half Marathon! Two of my teammates from my Biggest Winner team are planning on walking with me -- LeeAnn and Darla. I'm happy to say that LeeAnn and I haven't stopped walking since our half marathon in April. We made up our minds to stick with it, and we have!

I am beginning to again question my sanity, though. I mean...who really thought I'd ever complete a half marathon in 2012, not to mention TWO half marathons in 2012?! Certainly not me.

Why am I doing this? Don't worry, I've been asking myself the same thing. The simple answer is: I need it to stay motivated. I've figured out I do best with short-term goals that are easy to measure my progress.

I'm still working on my weight loss goals. Despite working out 5-6 times a week I've plateaued again with my weight. I'm still seeing my clothes fitting looser, so I'm hoping that I continue to convert fat into muscle.

I've been doing pretty well with my eating plan, but have to admit that I've had some weak moments lately (read: enjoyed a cupcake during a girls-night-in), but I choose not to punish myself or talk down to myself for those moments. Every once in awhile you have to enjoy eating something without worrying how many calories you just ate, or how long you'll have to workout to burn off your yummy smack.

So, between now and October my goals are to become stronger, and to keep enjoying the new body I'm building for myself. I appreciate everyone's support!

I'll wrap this up with a little Pinterest wisdom!