Happy New Year!



With my husband, waiting for the Resolution
Run (5K) to start - Jan 1/2011

Anyone have any good resolutions for 2011? Mine are fairly modest, but I hope that makes them achievable:

1. Achieve a sub-40 minute 5K power walk. Doesn't have to be too far below 40 minutes; 39:59 would be great.

2. Achieve a sub-30 minute CN Tower climb. As above - doesn't have to be too far below 30 minutes; 29:59 would make me really happy.

3. Lose 20 of the 40 extra pounds I'm carrying. 2009 was the year I lost most of my weight; 2010 was the year my fitness improved and I lost a few inches but didn't see much of a drop on the scale. I know that I've added muscle mass by adding more exercise and a broader range of activities, but I also know that I haven't been watching my food intake terribly closely. Sure, I'd love to lose all of the extra weight this year, but I'm setting my sights on the first 20 pounds for now.

4. Say goodbye to size 16. I've plateaued here for some time. Looking forward to saying hello to smaller sizes.

5. Train for something a bit scarier than a 5K. I'm thinking of something like the 25K option of the Becel Ride for the Heart. Hmmm.

6. Earn my 400th workout shirt at Curves before I turn 40 in the fall.

Every goal needs a plan. Mine is -

• Continue taking the stairs at work and power walking at lunch time
• Keep getting to Curves 3x/week, swim every other weekend this winter
• Break the bike out whenever the weather permits
• Continue keeping an exercise log on this blog. It's been so, so helpful!
• Plan out which events I want to sign up for in 2011
• Watch my food intake. That means better meal planning, keep an eye on portion sizes, watch out for the treats and get back to keeping a food diary. If I'm fitter AND lighter, I should be able to shave time off my current PBs and get closer to my goal weight. I'm giving My Fitness Pal a try - I'm here.

I learned a few things from the first few events that I participated in - what are your "must do"s?

• Take music. Can't believe how much nicer it is to listen to the iPod rather than myself panting
• Pin my bib to my pants so I can take layers off when I get hot
• Have bananas waiting in the car for a post-race snack. Favourite pre-race breakfast: whole wheat english muffin w/ peanut putter & cheese + glass of milk + an orange.

Here's how this week went:

Finished! With my husband & sister-in-law.
We're all smiles but tired and SOAKED

Saturday - A warm and rainy New Year's Day (8C) and the 5K Resolution Run with my husband & sister-in-law. They ran, I power walked. I was VERY nervous about how I'd do without Lynda there to be my pacecar. I finished the Santa Shuffle in 44:13 four weeks ago and am proud of that time, but knew thata I only achieved it by hustling like crazy to try to keep up with Lynda...and it nearly killed me! Today, I loaded up my iPod with Green Day, went at what I thought was a comfortable but speedy pace - and finished in 42:49. Shaved 1:24 off my time!!! I found the event very challenging, but my technique was a lot better - I paid attention to taking short, fast steps and got my arms moving. Having the iPod really helped me set a good pace and get into the zone. Dave and Lisa did great too - they ran most of the way and fininshed in great tme despite being tired and not having trained over the holidays. Go go go!!!

Sunday - Bit stiff today! Recovery day. Took it easy for most of the day but walked the kids down to go skating for an hour. I did a few laps around the rink but moved pretty slowly.

NOT COOL - Got a message from one of the trainers at my gym tonight - the owner has closed the club, without giving any notice to staff or members. Fortunately there is another one reasonably close to home. Planning to drop by tomorrow, workout on a visitor's pass and transfer my membership.

Signed up for April's Climb this week...!

Monday - Had the day off work and got to the new Curves right after dropping the kids off at school. Very different facility than what I'm used to but quite nice - and the manager is great! Very active and involved in the circuit. Phone was ringing off the hook while I was there with members from the closed club calling. Did a workout. Zumba classes start next week!

Tuesday - Stairs to 7 in the AM, 1.5K power walk at lunchtime.

Wednesday - Stairs to 7 in AM.

Thursday - Stairs to 7 in AM and at lunch; lunchtime stroll to do errands, Curves after dinner. Got a preview of what the Zumba classes will be like - so fun. So sweaty. So clumsy. Going to be interesting trying to learn the steps....hope I don't step on anyone...

Friday - Quick 1.1K power walk at lunch + stairs to 7. Quick 1.1K power walk after dinner, to the community centre and back.

What I'm reading this week  - Not a lot of anything. In between books right now. Any recommendations?