Reflections for the start of a new year

At this time of year we reflect on what the past year has meant. We examine a year's worth of victories and defeats, good moments and bad. I've recently spent time thinking about my goals for 2011 and what has motivated me in 2010.

What I discovered is that it isn't the 'what' that motivated me as much as the 'who.'

So here's a shout-out to those that have kept me going on the road to fitness in 2010:

My fellow bloggers- all are remarkable women, but Carla's posts leave me laughing and her personal emails to me always let me know that I've done something right. We all need a cheerleader!

Chief Caviness, Senior Master Sgt. McCabe and Maj. Prindle - these guys are die-hard runners. They show up at our Warrior Runs with big smiles and remind me that despite the pain I think I feel, running can be fun.

Carrie Baker- first she beats me. I appreciate the challenge. Next, she keeps the Seymour Johnson running club informed. I've learned so much from her- pickle juice to ward off cramps, chocolate milk after a race to rejuvenate, hey did you know that there's a race next weekend? She's a great organizer for the club who expects little and provides a lot.

Col. Randy Ogden- yep, that's my boss. No, I'm not brown-nosing. He gets it. He promotes it. He lives it. You gotta love that in a boss!

Lts. Kirchhoff and Bopp- they started me on this path a year ago with a simple "Come on. You can do it." Katie Bopp won the women's 5K at Dover last November. She was probably a mile ahead of me. I still couldn't come close to touching her today, but I'm closer than I was a year ago, and I feel great!

To all of you who read this blog and all of you who come to my office with your victories and near misses. Thanks for letting me know that it makes a difference.

I've got some big plans in store for 2011 AND I've already started making some HUGE changes for the purpose of health and fitness. I can't wait to share my goals and new developments with you, but for now I'll just wish you the happiest, healthiest and safest holiday season! Till 2011!

Brrrrrrr, it's cold out there!

I use to consider myself a 'fair weather runner.' I hated to run when it was too hot, and no way I was running when it was too cold. My outdoor routine pretty much only went from late April through early October with a lot of missed days in-between. The other morning it was about 19 degrees here, but I had not run in five days, so I opted for the treadmill. I didn't like it. Was it harder because it was new or was it harder because I had to keep pace with the machine? Since I'm a creature of habit it must have been because I had not run on a treadmill since March.

Today, I opted to go outside. It was 23 degrees, but the wind wasn't blowing. Usually I walk 3/4 a mile before I start to run. Today I walked about 20 steps before I started running. Holy smokes was it cold. But seriously, after about a mile you don't feel it. You warm up and start thinking about other things than keeping yourself warm. I had someone at work ask me about sucking in the cold air and it making my chest hurt, but it doesn't. There once was a time it did, but I think that since I've been on this routine for more than a year now that my body is just ready to run- despite the temps.

Don't let the temps keep you from starting a workout routine today. It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, a treadmill or the track -- just get out there and do it!

Injuries: mental versus physical

I admit that I'm a clutz. Always have been. I walk into walls and tables, I fell twice on the ice last year, and always seem to have some kind of unexplained bruise or bump on me. In keeping with my usual MO, I fell down a few stairs on Thanksgiving. To give a shout out to Safety, I was not practicing good Operational Risk Management procedures -- pants were too long, carrying a few boxes and moving too fast. The last step caught me in the lower back - ouch! As I lay looking at the ceiling in my living room, you'd think my initial thought might be one of embarrassment, but oddly enough my first thought was "Oh no, my PT test!"

I don't test again till Sept. 2011.

I've gotten into such a regular workout routine that having respiratory problems hasn't stopped me, but a back injury- well that's a whole new ballpark. I took four days off from doing anything. On Monday, I went to the gym. Yes, it hurt, but I did it anyway. As the week progressed, it still hurt, but it hurt less each time.

I know there are injuries out there a lot worse than mine. Injuries that take months or years from which to recover, but the moral of the story here is to get back on the horse. Maybe you can't do a certain exercise anymore, but learn to do another exercise that will still help keep you in shape. Or just take baby steps with the exercise you can't do, build yourself back slowly to the point where you were. If we tell ourselves we can't, then we can't. If we don't try, we don't know. If we let the injury stop us, then it will. But if we just try, even a little, we may find that we can surprise ourselves despite an injury.