February: HAWC Race Against Violence

Round two!

For February, I ran the Race Against Violence 5k supporting the Houston Area Women's Center.  HAWC assists survivors of domestic and sexual abuse get back on their feet.  The center hosts families until they can rebuild and restart.  My firm has chosen HAWC as one of the charities we are supporting this year, so there were several of us there to participate.  I love that something as simple as a 5k can do so much good in our community! 

So if you'll recall from my new year's resolution post, the whole idea of this resolution was to keep me exercising regularly.  Yeah, no.  Pretty sure I only ran about five times between the Choco Loco 5k and this one.  And I was huffing and puffing to show it.  Well, I guess I did succeed in creating some consequence for my lack of discipline!  Motiviation, I suppose.

Panting or no, I'm glad I turned out for this run.  The weather was incredible - just chilly enough to make you look forward to breaking a sweat.  It was so fun to have some other friends out on the course as well!

Rose (on the left) killed it.  She's training for the Bearathon in Waco, proudly advertised as the hardest half marathon in Texas.  

Sean did not kill it because he's sweet and ran with me instead.  And what I mean by "ran" is that he picked his feet up a little higher while walking so I could pretend we were running together.  He's basically the fastest human I've ever met, but I love that for some of these casual runs he hangs back with me.  I'll have to step up my game and make him actually jog next time.  It'll be intense.  Or not.

Stay tuned for March - I'm riding my first ever bike road race.  On a bike I've only used a couple of times.  That should be interesting...

January: Choco Loco 5k

One down, eleven to go!

For January, I ran the Choco Loco 5k.  Get this - you run your 3.1 miles around the lovely Uptown Park area in Houston, and finish it off with a chocolate buffet.  Hey there, motivation!

The course was lovely.  I work in the Galleria area and drive by Uptown Park all the time.  I didn't realize, though, that there is a secret neighborhood behind it.  Winding little streets, beautiful houses, and all those old trees.  Lovely, I tell you.

What we did not bet on for this race was the arctic conditions!  It was below 40^o!  And y'all, for a Houston girl, that is COLD.  But do you know what goes perfectly with a chilly January morning?

Hot chocolate!

and chocolate covered strawberries!
and chocolate covered bananas!
and chocolate covered pretzels!
and chocolate chip cookies!
and maybe a brownie bite or two...

Yeah, I was pretty excited about that chocolate buffet.  Sean was a little less motivated by the chocolate and just wanted to get somewhere with a heater.  Once my fingers went numb, I had to agree.  Especially when all the chocolate fountain goodness froze together on my plate.

I had a great time with this first run of 2014.  For me, these themed runs give me something to look forward to, rather than just lacing up and taking to the road.  I know there's something special at the end, and a little adventure along the way.

Happy resolutions!

new year's resolution

Because you've gotta have one, right?

 Let's be honest - there are very resolutions that I have kept in the past. I always start out with the best intentions, but usually break whatever self-improvement goal I've made before the end of January. Learn to sew? Dust is gathering on that machine. Read a new book every week? Well, maybe if the first one hadn't taken two months. Give up Dr. Pepper? Ha! Jokes on me.

 So this year, I had a brilliant idea. Why don't I make a resolution that I could actually keep? My attempts in previous years had either been too vague or left no wiggle room for slip-ups. If I just want to "learn" or "get better at" something, there was no starting point and no measurement. If I try to do something every day that I've never done before, what are my chances of succeeding?

 So instead of choosing some arbitrary goal, I picked a resolution that I have been working towards already. I am trying to be more diligent about sticking to an exercise schedule. And what I've learned is that if I don't have an event on the horizon, I don't have the motivation. So here's my resolution:


This year, I will complete one active event per month.

These events can include 5ks, 10ks, bike races, triathalons, and whatever other fun things come along. Theoretically, with one event a month, I will always be in training and always motivated! BUT since the resolution is a once-a-month activity, I have wiggle room. And if I don't stick completely to my training schedule, I haven't automatically failed a "work out every day" kind of resolution.

2014 is the year that I will keep my resolution. I've got January, February, March, and April events in my calendar. And the best part? I am excited about this resolution, inspired to succeed and looking forward to what the year will bring.

 Come along for the ride!