October Challenge

Good morning everyone!

I hope your week is going smoothly and you're off to a wonderful start to the day!

I'm very excited about my newest fitness challenge that I began this morning. Last week I got an email from the Tone it Up team that explain their newest workouts and fitness plans for the fall. If you're interested you can check them out here. One challenge they came up with was 100 miles in October. The goal of the challenge is to fit in 100 miles, either by running, walking, biking, or swimming by the end of the month. I really liked this challenge because it seems very manageable (basically you need 2.5 miles a day) and because its a great way to build consistency with your workouts.

After thinking about the challenge some, I decided to take it on, but add my own little twist. Even though I've been running for the past three years, I still struggle with running outside. The most I enjoyed it was when I was training for the Flying Pig marathon earlier this year. I really liked seeing the city while I got a good workout in. I ran in new areas of town that I never really thought I would. After the race though my outdoor session immediately ended. Still it takes a great deal of mental prep for me to conquer an outdoor run. So here's my version of the Tone it Up challenge: I'm going to run 100 miles between now and Oct. 31st- outside only. I think this will be a great way to help me overcome by mental block with running outside!

I started the challenge this morning with a 2.5 mile run around a neighborhood track.

It was the perfect fall morning for a run! It felt great being outside and getting those miles in. Tomorrow I'm planning on a three mile run around the neighborhood. If you have any suggestions for running trails or favorite spots to hit the pavement please, please, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. Right now I have plans for more neighborhood runs, as well as a few at Sharon and Winton Woods. I've never ran at Lunken Airport either so I think I'll have to add it to the challenge list :). 

Although I'm really excited about the running challenge, I think I'm almost more excited about the goal at the end. I know, as a runner, the payoff for this challenge will be phenomenal. However I'm also human and a little incentive has never hurt when it comes to meeting a goal. I decided my incentive is a new Lululemon jacket or hoodie if I reach this goal! I'm so excited about this because I have been eyeing their fall line and could never bring myself to pay that kind of money for a jacket/sweatshirt. However, instead of rewarding myself with food (normally my mom meets me at the finish line of a race with coffee and a cake donut!) I wanted to encourage my healthy lifestyle choices in another way. I can't think of a better way than new workout gear. I haven't decided which jacket I'm aiming for but let's just say their website is definitely bookmarked for further research :). 

Time to tackel a huge to-do list waiting for me and rest up for tomorrow miles! Happy Hump Day!