New trail

Last week it suddenly became unbearably cold. I hate treadmills and I couldn’t bring myself to go out and run before or after work. The forecast showed 3 p.m. would be the warmest part of the day, so I brought my gear to work and ducked out for an afternoon jog. I’ve been working here 4 years, and it was only on this run that I finally discovered a short rubber track near my office building that connected to a lovely little fitness trail that wound around ponds nestled behind several apartment complexes.

It was wonderful, and I decided then to make the afternoon run a regular occurence. I just wish I could hang my Enell sports bra to dry instead of stuffing it back into my gym bag all wet. Probably no one would notice if I laid it out on the floor under my desk.

I wasn't sure I'd get to run today because rain was in the forecast and rain + cold is beyond my tolerance levels, but it ended up being warmer than expected and dry while I was out. It was a dreary gray day, and the trail was unusually quiet and beautifully peaceful with far fewer people than I usually see there.

I'd worn a compression sleeve on my knee yesterday because it was considerably sore from Sunday's long run, but I couldn't stand to stay off it entirely. Today the sleeve caused more discomfort than it ameliorated, so I pulled it off early and cautiously set a slow, smooth pace with many walk breaks. It was good.

This week (Sunday-Wednesday) has been an interesting experiment in toeing the line between acceptable soreness and actual injury. I probably overdid it by a half mile Sunday. Since Monday, I struggle at the start of each run but at the end feel that movement has been beneficial and aided my knee's healing.

The fitness trail has miscellaneous boards and bars along its length and plaques describing exercises, so I've been dabbling on a few of the pieces. Today I surprised myself when I successfully traversed the length of two parallel bars overhead while hanging. (Think: monkey bars without any short crossbars.)

I also saw some enormous koi in the ponds, easily 18+ inches. I look forward to taking more pictures out there in the coming weeks.

I finished my run and came back into the office to find the last cookie in the break room calling my name. It was great.

2016 Wellness Goals

I don't typically set New Year's resolutions because it feels like a cultural practice of setting one's self up for failure. I set a few race goals each year but don't really keep track of them. However, this year I am inspired by a friend's "habit cultivation" framework for setting and tracking goals and am going to do that. The key is setting goals that focus on creating healthy habits rather than focusing on outcomes.

In keeping with my usual goal-setting, I decided last year that I wanted to try for an Olympic-distance triathlon this year, and more specifically determined in November to run a 10k by the end of January. Needing accountability, I registered for a January 31 10k event and am well on my way training for that. Last week I went ahead and registered early for a late-May Oly tri to make sure I do it. The weather will probably be terrible, but I'm trying to view the silver linings as having more time to train and not needing to invest in a wetsuit for cold water.

As far as cultivating habits, I'm setting quantifiable goals for developing regular meditation and yoga practices, things I tried but did not follow through on doing in 2015. Although I ought to stretch daily, any amount is better than the almost none that I do now, so I'm aiming for a dedicated stretching or yoga session 100 times this year, approximately twice a week. I told myself over and over this fall to practice meditating again because I was so constantly stressed out, but I only did it once. And though I ought to meditate daily, I know that is an unreasonable "all or nothing" goal that I'd definitely fail, so my plan is to meditate for a minimum of 5 minutes (I usually like 10 or 15) 250 times in 2016.

I'm using a rainbow spreadsheet similar to my friend Bethany's to set and track these goals. These may sound like a lot, but I'm basing them on my current habits and performance and believe them reasonable.

My fitness goals include hitting my weekly step goal every week, barring injury or illness, since I can't do it every day with a desk job but have no excuse not to hit it weekly; running and walking a total 1,000 miles, since I managed more than 700 this year and only started consistently  wearing a Fitbit tracker in July; trying 10 new fitness classes; and getting to the gym for an assessment soon so I can set any weight-lifting goals. I ought to set some swimming and cycling goals but don't yet know what is sustainable for me.

I also set a few brain goals for myself such as reading academic articles and other pieces on oppression and social justice issues (I have lists of nearly 200 articles that I keep meaning to read) and completing one online course, since I frequently start them but do not finish. I'm not ready to set any nutrition goals because I dislike cooking, have picky tastes, am limited for time, and do not do well with restriction, but I may later in the year. I will try to cook 10 new recipes this year. That's a lot for me, but once a month seems a modest goal. I want to add a goal for blog writing but worry about how I usually tend to stop writing for several weeks at a time. I'll think about it and revisit that one.

What are your goals and techniques that help you achieve them?

Fuzzy

I stopped shaving my legs a couple years ago and my underarms last year. It's too time consuming and makes my skin irritated and scabby, and I'm just not that hairy in the first place. It's visible, but my boyfriends of the time didn't notice until I'd mentioned it.

Though I confess, I feel like kind of a weirdo being the only participant (as far as I can see) with hairy legs at triathlons. But I have no doubt that the egregious amount of time I might spend shaving is much better applied to training and technique. I certainly don't race with any intent to meet conventions that dictate female attractiveness, and a speed improvement of microseconds just isn't worth the effort (or pain). I've read that one purpose of shaving for sport is to remove dead skin cells, but I exfoliate regularly as is.

Is there anyone else?

Resolution: Rey

My newest New Year's resolution: be(come) Rey.

I don't know if #fitnessfriday is a thing(?!) but HERE'S MINE! Lifting 80 kilos/176 pounds feeling like an absolute boss. 😏😏😏 Initially I had to pack on some muscle to look like a desert scavenger, but have continued working out because it makes me feel really good. The female form is beautiful in all shapes and sizes, whether that's athletic, straight up straight down or curvy; you just have to do what makes you feel good, try not compare yourself to other people and LOVE YOURSELF!!! As it stands I'm of the athletic variety so I'm gonna keep pumping those weights 😄😄😄 #girlswholift

A video posted by @daisyridley on Aug 21, 2015 at 9:20am PDT

You are not a naughty child.

Exercise is not punishment. Eating is not bad behavior. You are not a naughty child.

"Moving your body should never be done as punishment and you do not have to earn your food. Some even add “because you’re not a dog” to that statement but I disagree. I don’t make my dog earn his food either. I feed him because I love him and I’m a responsible canine-mom." Read more here.

Be yourself. Enjoy the journey.

I've seen so many people working toward improving their health say "I hate myself. I want to become a different person."

Even I get frustrated when I lose fitness or training isn't going well and often have to remind myself that it [fitness, health, life, etc.] is a journey, not a destination.

To be the runner you want to be, you first have to be the runner you are right now.

To be the swimmer you want to be, you first have to be the swimmer you are right now.

To be the walker you want to be, you first have to be the walker you are right now.

To be the yogi you want to be, you first have to be the yogi you are right now.

To be the person you want to be, you first have to be the person you are right now.

Pinterest and fitness

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to health, fitness, and mental wellness. It includes recommended workouts and stretches, motivational quotes, and training plans. I try to keep it weight-neutral and body-positive, but some things slip by past Moniqa when present me would know better. Let me know.

Are there any motivational posters or quotes or workouts you'd recommend?