July 100 Miles Challenge #July100miles

Am I crazy or what?

I joined this challenge on Facebook sponsored by ilovetorun.org. The challenge was to run (or walk) 100 miles during the month of July. When you average that out over 31 days (thank you extra day in July), it is a little over 3.2 miles per day. That's doable. I joined knowing I probably wouldn't be able to run all of the 100 miles. I do love to run, but my knees don't love to run as much as my mind does. I told myself I'd run as much as I could and walk on the days I just felt like I couldn't.

I needed a fitness refresh, and this challenge was a great motivator. Plus, it taught me a few things along the way.

1. Morning workouts ROCK!  If you know me, you know I'm not really a morning person. I'm more of a mid-morning person. My favorite time to exercise is around 7:30 a.m. after I'm fully awake. During the work week I try my best to get my butt out the door by 6:30 a.m. Doesn't always happen, but when it does, I feel so much better. My metabolism is off to a great start, and I'm full of energy. Getting started is the hardest part. 

2. I love my Fitbit!  I should say I've been tracking my miles via my Fitbit. This may seem like "cheating" to some because I wear my Fitbit all day. If you don't know what a Fitbit is, it's a tracking device that records every step I take and adds those steps into a mile total for the day. I say... it's not cheating; I'm being smart. I'm tracking my activity (or inactivity), and everything should count. And I'm really close to reaching 500,000 steps. If I could complete 100 miles this month, I'll have met that milestone. Midway through the month, I hit 50 miles total. YES! Right on schedule.

3. It's all about attitude. But towards the end of the month, work was a lot busier and my activity level started to decline. After July 28th, I had completed 85 miles. That's only 5 miles per day, but more than my usual daily average of 3.2. My daily average the week of July 21 - 27 was only 2.55 miles. Ugh! Where was my momentum? Where was my drive? I was struggling with my knees, busy with family obligations, and making too many excuses and not enough time for me. I started to get a little nervous and wondered if I was going to make it to 100 miles by July 31.

And then I saw this....

Yes. This is MY challenge. I will not fail. This is MY journey, and no one else's. I will do this. I WILL reach 100 miles by the end of July! I found my positive attitude and kept going.

4. Self-discipline will get you there! I logged over 15 miles in the last three days. I met my goal of 500,000 steps and... I completed 101.47 miles this month! Set you goal. Don't lose hope. You will get there.

Proud? You bet I am.  Now beer me.

Happy Belated Birthday to my Blog

It was June 25, 2012 when I wrote my first blog post.  I honestly thought I started this in July, but June seems like a more likely month. July gets busier and busier as the month goes on. That also explains why I missed my blog's birthday. I've just been... busy.

So two years and one month later, my blog has a birthday. On every birthday or anniversary I like to reflect, evaluate and assess the year before. What have I learned? What have I gained? I saw a quote by Oprah Winfrey today that said, "No experience is ever wasted. Everything has meaning." I so agree with that. But the real key is LEARNING from those experiences. So let's look back....

I've definitely written fewer posts this year. A lot of that is because I've stopped my photo a day projects. I would post nearly every day when I was taking photos. Now I post two or three times a month which is pretty typical for most bloggers.

The posts I have made have been more quality posts and almost like a re-count of my life. An open diary, if you will, for all to see and read. That's okay. I wouldn't post anything I didn't want you to see or read.

The views have been less but I think that's only because I haven't been posting as much. Those two things usually go hand and hand. Also, you must share your posts in order for people to know there's something new out there to read (unless you are a follower, that is), and I've cut back on sharing.

What have I learned?

• I don't miss my photo project. It became cumbersome and time consuming. The fun was no longer there. I'm glad that I stopped. No regrets.
• I prefer quality over quantity. Always have, but it's been reinforced.
• I now know the appropriate amount of information to share.

What have I gained?

• I have prioritized my activities. I know which activities I should focus on and which ones should just fade away. 
• I'm more present. I'm not constantly thinking about the photo prompt of the day and how I will incorporate it into a blog post. I'm not a blogger professional after all. I do have another job.
• I've gained a LOT of knowledge about myself.

So I'll continue with this blog and post once or twice a month about my life. Mostly for me, but also so my children can go back and read the things that Mom liked to write about. I think the amount of information they will learn and subsequently gain from this blog is priceless. And because of that, I'll keep posting.

Happy Birthday, Blog!  Here's to another great year.