Year 2011 Resolutions
Is January 23rd too late for a New Year’s Resolution blog post? I don’t think so! Well, here goes. Even though my job and relationship status stayed the same (love my husband and teaching high school English and Spanish), 2010 was a huge year for me, personally. Some of the highlights:
1. I transitioned into ChiRunning in the winter/spring
2. I transitioned into minimalist/barefoot running in the summer/fall and bought my first pairs of Vibram FiveFinger shoes.
3. In June, at the suggestion of my wonderful, supportive husband, I started this blog, AllisonsBigToe.com. In learning to navagate the social media world, I inspired others and have also been truly inspired myself by all your blog posts and tweets on subjects that interest me.
4. In April and October, I ran half marathons without injury, the furthest distance I have ever accomplished.
5. In November through the end of the year, I transitioned my diet and lifestyle to the Gut and Psychology Syndrome nutritional program (which encompasses a grain-free diet and detoxification).
2010 was a year of self-discovery, research, and healing.
This year, 2011, I resolve to surge forward and seamlessly blend my athletic form and healthy lifestyle to make my body an efficient machine. I want to be able to say at the end of the year: “I don’t suffer from any health problems at all, and I have more energy and look more beautiful than ever before.” In March I will turn 29 years old, and I want the last year of my 20’s to be the year in which I set my body up for a lifetime of good health. I want to create a health and fitness routine that will significantly reduce my chance of getting cancer or other terminal illness in the future. This involves continuing to make changes in almost every aspect of my life, including but not limited to: sleeping habits, how I brush my teeth, sunlight intake, what cleaning products I use on my body and in my home, what, when, and how I eat, and how and when I exercise (including warm-up and cool-down practices).
So, all that said, last night I took the plunge and registered for the 4 mile Goleta Superbowl XLIV Run! It’s a plunge because I’ve run maybe twice in the last two months, because I just recovered from a flu that had me in bed for 5 days straight with a fever, and because this will be the first formal race that I’ll run on a grain-free diet. But I did this Superbowl run with my husband and friends last year, and it was really fun; the course takes a nice loop through the streets of Goleta (city near Santa Barbara) and then through Lake Los Carneros Park. I also want to try out the course in my Vibram FiveFingers, because last year at this time I wasn’t yet enlightened about the benefits of barefoot running :)
Thankfully, even though I haven’t been running recently, I did keep up my 10 minutes a day morning workout throughout the holidays, and this helped me to build some muscle strength. This morning I felt strong enough and decided it was time to start running again.
After slurping a spoonful of raw honey and doing my ChiRunning body looseners, I ran about 2 miles, maybe a little bit more; I didn’t take my Garmin with me. My first impression: tiring! Today is very windy, hot, and dry; a type of weather we usually get in Southern California around October, not the end of January, and it made for a difficult transition back in to running for me. Having to battle the wind back was not very fun. At the top of a hill after about a mile and a half I stopped and walked for a bit because I could feel my heartrate was too high. Then I ran the rest of the way home on slightly wobbly legs. I guess I can’t expect too much considering a week ago today I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without stopping twice (darn that flu virus!). I plan to run twice more this week, and then attempt the 4 mile distance next weekend, just to make sure I’ll be able to run it the weekend after without stopping. I have confidence it will all go well, and then I can spend the rest of the day being lazy and watching the one football game a year I ever see.
Here’s to an awesome year 2011!
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