Going to a New Gym/Run More, Stupid

     I am able to count myself lucky in this life for many things; the lifestyle we can afford, the careers that we have, and the family that we have been able to hold together. One of the things I'm grateful for is the ability to afford a gym membership to our local YMCA.

     There has been a Y in the next town over for several years, but it was showing its age; it was small, compartmentalized, and was easily crowded when more than only a couple of people were present. Sometime in the last year or so, the Y and several other organizations announced that they were building a brand new facility on the other side of the city that would be easily accessible from the bypass. This facility is beautiful! Tons of cardio machines, weight machines, free weights, two pools, two basketball courts, a track, and other miscellaneous rooms that house different classes and equipment. This new Y opened up on January first, and we've been 3-4 times a week since then.

     Yesterday we went and I decided that I would make it a cardio day. I've spent many of these new gym sessions cross training and gaining back some of my strength. I've run myself through some challenging arm and core workouts while mixing in some biking and running. Last night was going to be all about running.

     Last night I decided that I would check out my 5k time. Obviously, it's on a treadmill and I don't have all of the variables that work themselves into an outdoor run.

     3.1 miles in 27:49 for a 8:58 pace. 

     It was nice to get to running again and it was nice to see that my pacing was entirely off. When I got off of the treadmill I was soaking wet with sweat and out of breath, but it felt good. It was nice to know that my cardio fitness had stayed somewhat true to form. Last night was the first time in a long time that I started to see a reversed trend in my thinking--I'm starting to believe in body positivity again. We live in a world that's being airbrushed and touched up at an almost constant rate and it really does play a role on the way people think about themselves. Heck, just having a kid changed the way I viewed myself--nothing is more humbling than being outplayed/outran by a 2 year old.

     As stated in an earlier post, I'm wanting to increase my mileage and take on some more competitive races this year. A co-worker of mine, L, has invited me, my wife, and her husband to all take part in a 26.2 mile relay race as a part of pretty popular marathon weekend in our area. This means each of us will run between six and seven miles. I've covered this distance before, but never in competition. I'm excited and nervous to finally make running a team sport since part of the allure is its solo nature. These are people that I'm great friends with, so I know it will be a blast to spend part of a weekend in a big city doing something I haven't before.

     So my goal is this; depending on the length of the leg, I'd like to run a sub 9:00 pace. I have until May to train, but the terrain will be completely unfamiliar and I already know that it is more hilly and has more variable aspects to it than the flat bike paths I normally run.

So now I'm training for a race... oh boy.

Best,