Saturday, April 18, 2009

My First 5k

I've always wanted to run a 5k. It's one of those pesky little things that's been on my life's list of things to do for years now and every time I'm in my car and I see a race in progress I think, that should be me out there. Well, thanks to my step-sister in-law, Amanda, who invited me to the YWCA's Race Against Racism, my husband, Dave, who kept me company (and provided ample motivation along the way) and a beautiful weather forecast...today it was me out there!


Over the past few weeks I've been anticipating - and, ok, regretting - agreeing to do the race. Even though I run on the treadmill a few times a week, I was worried that an actual race with "real" runners might be more of a challenge than I could handle (and what about the hills?). You see, even though I run, I totally don't consider myself in the same category as those graceful runners who just seem to glide along the pavement effortlessly. For me, it feels like every step requires a ton of effort. But I'm happy to report that I completed the entire race without stopping - or complaining - in just under 31 minutes! I heard the winner finished in something like 17 minutes. 17 minutes! He was obviously one of those graceful types :)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Boxing




I LOVE trying new things and last night, for the first time ever, I tried boxing. I have to admit, I was a bit of a skeptic when I walked into Boxx LV. They promised I'd burn 1,000 calories in an hour - not since my days of spinning has anyone made such a bold promise! I was so skeptical, in fact, that I got up early yesterday morning and squeezed in some intervals on the treadmill. Big mistake. I was beat after the warm-up. The WARM-UP! Needless to say, an hour of drills, punching, jabbing, hooking and floor exercises left my muscles convulsing to the point that I could barely spoon dinner into my mouth when I got home. As for today...let's just say I'm avoiding staircases and any unnecessary walking.
Overall, my boxing adventure was a great experience, one that opened my eyes to a different area of fitness and gave me a new-found respect for all the men and women who seriously train for this sport - it's no joke. And while you won't see me on UFC anytime soon, I will definitely return every now and then just for the challenge of it (and, of course, the calorie burn!).