30 Minutes or Less

It seems like the last 5 months have been a series of false starts. Every Monday starts with a stern lecture to myself and promises of more exercise and less food. Every Friday inevitably ends with too much food and not enough activity. This cycle, combined with my return to a full time job with 2 young kids at home, has resulted in me GAINING on even more weight, despite my repeated attempts to LOSE weight. 

Something's gotta give.

This weekend, my circle of friends and I competed at the Ottawa Race Weekend - Cate & I in the 2K and my hubby in the half marathon... yes, you heard that right! My friend, Katie, also achieved a life long dream of completing a full marathon - with an awesome time to boot. We had a blast the whole weekend and really felt part of something so special to our city. 

My inspiration team!

Seeing everyone succeed has really inspired me to go further and so tonight I signed up for the 5K race at the Army Run in September! Not only that - I indicated that my predicted finish time will be 25-30 minutes... 

WHAT?!?! 

That's right...

I've decided that short distances are my thing. I will never be a marathoner, nor do I have any interest in running for that long and so I've set a goal for myself to train this summer to increase my speed over 5K to come in under 30 minutes. At the Resolution Run in January, I came in just under 37 minutes so I have a little bit of work to do...

Overall, I'm happy - I finally have a fitness goal rather than a weight goal!

It will certainly be easier for me to achieve this goal if I lose some weight in the process, but that is not the focus. The focus is training and increasing speed. 

As a first step, I have set a training plan for myself that includes short 2.5 km runs, strength workouts, cardio classes and yoga. I've made a deal with myself that I'm ok if my workout only lasts 20 minutes sometimes, as long I as get my butt moving in the first place.

So, now it's your turn. The Army Run usually sells out and up until mid-June it's only $30 to register! Does anyone want to join my in my quest for a personal best? I could really use a training partner... hint, hint...