0 to 41.32

I want to start my blog today by nothing that I am by no means a personal trainer, nutritionist or a runner. I am just an ordinary normal girl who works 8-5 at a desk job and dread working out just as much as the next person. Now, let's get started on the significance of 41.32.

41.32.. When I see 41.32 I now think of miles.. 41.32 miles ran in 30 days to be exact. 41.32 miles ran in 10 days less than my 40 day goal. I guess I s/Fuld back up here and tell everyone why I was trying to run 40 miles in 40 days..

It all started on a Sunday last February. My husband, Curt, and I were sitting in church when our priest was talking about the signficance of Lent. Curt and I try to make it to church on Sundays but I wouldn't consider us the most religious people on earth. We try to set good examples of ourselves but we are not the people you see knocking on doors to hand out flyers or walking around carrying a Bible everywhere you go. We normally gave something up like candy or soda for 40 days but it was nothing major. I may need to have a little insert here so my non-catholic readers can know what Lent is for us. It is the 40 days before Easter in which you are supposed to give something up or do something which causes you to remember the suffering Jesus went through for us. That is pretty much Lent in a nutshell. Back to that Sunday last February, the priest was talking about how he was going to give up radio in the car and that struck us on how hard that would be to do that for 40 days.. Curt and I were getting married that July and we needed a kick in our butts to get back in shape. We decided on our way home from church that we would do something for Lent which had to do with working out. We first kicked around going to the gym everyday but we both realized that was unrealistic and then Curt said why don't we run 40 miles in 40 days and that is the beginning of the story..

Last Lent I was able to run about 45 miles in 40 days. It took everybit of effort and determination to get through the 40 miles last year but I did it. However, I committed the worst runners mistake and stopped running after all of hard work. We didn't stop completely going to the gym but we didn't make running a priority. I actually tried to do anything to keep from running so I wouldn't have to face the fact of how much of my conditioning I had lost. I would make up some excuse on why I should do the elipitical or bike at the gym instead of hopping on the tredmill and running. Everybit of my training was completely leaving me and I was sitting back and making excuses for it to happen..

Let's fast forward to this February.. I knew I had to do my 40 miles and kept meaning to start training but never really did.. Ash Wednesday (start of Lent and February 22nd) was quickly approaching.. I remember getting on the tredmill on February 22nd knowing there would be no way I could possibly finish my goal and getting through my mile that day would not be possible. Once I started my run, I realized that I was in for a long, long 40 days. I made it through my entire mile that day and realized that I had to reach my goal. I had read that the best way to reach a goal is to write it down and tell people. Curt and I decided to use our white board in our house, right by our doorway, to keep track of our miles. We had to see this everytime we come home and all of our guests see it when they come visit. Next, I decided to update my Facebook every Wednesday on my progress so I can keep myself accountable for my miles. I also told everyone at my work and all my family so they knew of my goal also. I normally don't use books to figure out what to do but I must say that this worked completely! I managed to meet my 40 mile goal in 30 days which is 10 days better than I ever expected!

As I mentioned earlier, I am not a personal trainer but I am someone who went from not running at all to running 41.32 miles in 30 days. Here are a few words of advice I have for people.. First and foremost, set a goal. I NEVER would have been motivated to run if I had not set a goal. I can guarantee you that I would keep doing the minimum just to get by. I feel now that if I miss a day of running that I am missing something vital in my day. I feel like I am missing out on a mile of exercise that I could be getting. I don't make excuses anymore on why I can't run. I will have to admit, that some of my miles this year have been on the elpiticial since I was having some tendinitis in my leg but even then I push myself as hard as I can so I get a complete workout in. Second, I would recommend telling everyone about your goal so they can help you keep yourself accountable. Just make sure you don't annoy everyone around you by talking about it too much :) I am sure the people I work with can't wait for Lent to be over :). Third, I would keep motiviated goal and not stray to far from the goal. You will notice that I have not mentioned one time my weight. I actually try and avoid weighing myself through this whole process because my goal is about running 40 miles not about losing a certain amount of weight. Let's face it girls, our weight fluctuates every hour and it is hard to keep a constant evaulation of the results from a scale. Also, weight is something you may not have complete control over. You can't always control when your body is collecting water weight and all that jazz but you can control how much you are running/exercising. I have noticed that since I am running everyday, I am way more conscious of what I am eating because I know exactly how much work it takes to burn 200
calories and don't really want to add the calories back so fast with just one small glass of soda. I have noticed my pants fitting better and my stomach getting smaller and that is all I need to know.. I don't need a number to define me! Finally, I would recommend a way to keep yourself going and not get burnt out. Once I met my goal last year I had no reason to keep going. I have already taken steps to continue my running. I thought of maybe enrolling myself in some races like a 5k but I don't think that will keep me motivated so Curt and I decided to set our goal of 100 miles in 100 days. When we make this goal, I have decided we are going to have a big party lol.

41.32 mles is a big number to me.. It signifies a number that I never once thought I could reach this year. I can't wait for this number to keep getting bigger and bigger.. As always, thanks for reading!!

H