2 Mile Wednesday

Hi All! 

 Today was a nice easy 2 mile run.  By the time we got going around 4:15, the sun was going down and it started to get chilly, but still in the 40's.  I went with my friend Colleen who I mentioned yesterday and Aidyn who slept through the majority of the run.  Colleen is working on the Couch to 5k program and today was her first time running two miles non-stop.  She did great! 

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 24:54
Avg. Pace: 12:27

I'm pretty proud of her.  For a beginner 12 minute miles are a good place to start!  Now that she's got this under her belt, next time I'm going to push her harder to beat her own time.  Tomorrow it's back to 4 miles.  Looks like it's going to be warm but not sunny.

I don't have any funny Aidyn story for you today, so I was trying to think of something else I could tell you about.  What came to mind is that I've been told I'm helping to motivate some of you in your own workouts, but I haven't mentioned my own motivation yet.  What is motivating me to do this 1/2 marathon and what is keeping me going (especially during a time of year in which I would normally be hibernating)? 
Well, first and foremost, I'm doing this for me.  As I stated in one of my first blogs, I'm taking a stand and making time for myself this year.  Running is something I love to do and I've decided to make it a priority.  Signing up and paying for the 1/2 marathon is making me keep it a priority.  Usually, I HATE this time of year and I don't leave my house until all signs of snow are gone, but something has just clicked for me and I've been able to get past the weather  and be successful in my training schedule. 
Another reason I'm doing this, if I'm being totally honest, is so I'm not the chubby out of shape mom.  At my age you hear a lot of, "she was skinny in high school", and I don't want to hear that about myself.  I want people to say, "wow, she looks great after all these years".  I want Aidyn to always know and be proud of fit, healthy(ish)  mom and I want to pass this knowledge on to her and to send her off into the world with good(ish) habits.  Not to mention, if you know Aidyn - BUSIEST KID EVER - I need to be in shape to keep up with this girl!   

To help keep you motivated, here is a workout my trainer Sara gave me to do once in a while.  It's called Tabata training and it is interval training.  You can do this for any kind of exercise, it doesn't have to be running (I'm talking to you and your elliptical Stewart!!).  Go hard for 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds and repeat 8 times.  It's a really hard workout, but since you're paying attention to your seconds, the overall time seems to pass quickly.  Give it a try!  BUT, as pointed out to me earlier in a comment, I am not any kind of a trainer and have no education in any of this.  I'm making this up as I go along people!  Anything you try that I've suggested or mentioned, please do so safely!  :)

Until tomorrow!