A Little Something New? A Little Bit of Motivation? Let's Hope So.

As can probably be seen in my lack of blogging the last 4 months or so, my motivation has been non-existent lately.  Nothing, not even starting group training again has gotten my excitement for running out of the pits of despair (okay, perhaps it's not quite THAT bad, but I do believe it's at an all-time low)...

So I'm trying something a little new.  I bought a bike last year to add in some cross training on my non-run days.  Some weeks I use it, some weeks I don't.  However, just having the thing started me thinking about maybe, maybe, maybe doing a duathlon at some point in the future - some far-off, remote, indefinite point in the future.

Then a friend signed up for a local woman's Du, billed as "beginner friendly," that includes a free training plan and group rides/runs.  And the gears started turning...

Before I knew it, and before I could talk myself out of it, I was registered.  Holy Moly!

http://www.espritdeshe.com/page/show/721267-du-dallas#.U_OEmflHB-V

I'm certainly not giving up on running altogether - I completed a half marathon at the beginning of August and I have another one scheduled for mid-September - but I'm hoping that adding in this new aspect of training will kick-start some additional motivation and excitement.

The short course is 2-9-2.  A two mile run, 9 mile bike, and a two mile run, will be held in a nearby town, and is supposed to have a "fast & flat" course.   I contacted the race director and asked about a cutoff time - I'm pretty sure I'll be one of the slowest (if not THE slowest) participant out there.  Turns out the short course has the same time cutoff as the long course, so I have no worries about getting swept.  Whew.

So, I'll just be out there to meet the challenge of adding in a new sport/component, have fun, and get some bling!

This week is the kickoff of the training plan for me.  It's only an 8-week plan, but I'm repeating two weeks due to some scheduling conflicts of a race and out-of-town travel that will impede my weekend training bricks.  Bricks!  I'm going to be doing brick workouts!  That's so foreign to me!  These are things that my triathlon friends talk about and here I will be doing some of my own...craziness!

Looking forward to sharing the journey and hopefully the accomplishment of this new challenge with y'all, and hope I can do a better job of keeping up with the blog this fall.   ;-)

January Jump Start Challenge

The RunHalfway Mile-A-Day December Challenge is going very well, but is coming to an end.  So my friend Kim over at TriandTrue and I are hatching a plan for a January Jump Start Challenge.

Get a jump start on the New Year! Pledge to log at least one running or walking mile every day in January. Part of the Challenge is fitting the activity into your daily life, so no skipping, BUT - everyone gets one (1) "Grace Day" at any time during the month to miss a mile without breaking your streak!

It's super easy and follows basically the same rules as the December Challenge with one new little twist.  Kim's triathlon training calls for us to include biking as an option for January's Challenge - so trading 3 biking miles for your daily running or walking mile is acceptable in this one.  

So, are you ready to pledge your mile a day?  If so, here's how:

1. Join the FB group here.
2. Share the Challenge badge on FB, Twitter (follow @RunHalfway and @TriandTrue and use #JanuaryJumpStart), or on your blog.
3. Complete at least one mile on your feet every day. If you choose, 3 biking miles can occasionally be substituted for running or walking a mile.
4. After you've logged at least a mile each day, check into the Facebook group to record your mileage and get each day's badge!
5. Visit both blogs for motivation and updates throughout the month!
   - http://triandtrue.net/
   - http://www.run-halfway.blogspot.com/

Biker Babe!

Okay, so maybe not in the sense that the phrase has come to mean...but I'm gonna be a biker babe!  Keeping with the spirit of my New Year's Resolution to complete more of the non-running components of each new training program, I've purchased a bicycle!  That's one piece of equipment I haven't owned since my freshman year in college - I'm really hoping they mean what they say about never forgetting, because it's definitely been a while...  I'm really excited about having another cross-training opportunity, especially one that's easy on the joints!  The bike has been ordered, and a helmet and a few other accessories bought.  Now I just have to wait for it to arrive and deal with the "minor" assembly required, then I'll be off!!!

Today's stats:

• 10 min warm-up walk
• 2 mi run; 0:26:26;  13:13 min/mi pace
• 30 min resistance band strength training