Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2012...Off to a Good Start

It is officially 2012, actually four days into the new year, and I have done pretty well with regard to starting out on the right foot (no pun intended) by heading out for a five mile run on New Year's Day, then putting in a tough hour on the trainer in the basement on the 2nd.  Yesterday was a wash because my day was booked solid from when I left the house until I walked in the door at 9:30PM.

I had really hoped to have a 2012 Plan in place for the year ahead but any plan that I might create would be doomed from the start.  It may sound like a cop out, but I am realistic about the challenges that I have before me with regard to balancing family with work and training.  The birth of my third daughter has definitely made things a bit more crazy and add to that the fact that I still haven't been able to figure out a training schedule that fits around my ever changing work schedule.  I have swung and missed whenever I have attempted to do P90X for the sole reason that the only time I can really do it is 4:30AM and that just isn't happening.  I have tried to get into a routine of running or biking every day but I feel the pull to spend time with my family when I walk in the door from work and I struggle to get at it once the girls are in bed (~9:00PM).  I know these are all excuses and I have written them over and over again throughout the past nine months. 

So, what am I going to do to change things:
  1. Join a gym with a pool.  If I (with my wife) do this, I will get my butt out of bed around 5:00AM and to the gym by 5:30AM for a swim workouts, spin classes and heck maybe even YOGA!!!  I desperately need to get back into the pool and start swimming again and just get healthy.
  2. The days I am not at the gym, get up and run or ride the bike in the basement.  If I can manage to get up for swimming I will do it for the other things.
  3. Eat better, which I started last week.  No more soda, no more fried foods, no more doughnuts....at least until I have dropped at least 10 - 15 lbs.  Then I will treat myself to some bad stuff before getting back to dropping another 5 - 10 lbs.
  4. Pick a Spring Half-Marathon to run, then lay out my summer/fall triathlon schedule.  I may just throw in some winter trail races if I feel so inclined.
So, no real semblance here, just babbling about how much I suck and how I don't have any of my crap together.  I really am going to figure it all out this year, I just have to.  I hate feeling the way that I feel right now.  My back is always sore, my legs ache and when I actually do go running my heart rate is far too high (yeah, I am that out of shape).  Enough for now, back to work.  Cheers!!!

2 comments:

TrevorD said...

Best of luck finding your balance Jamie. It is hard sometimes.

As a father and husband, we have to sacrifice ourselves to focus on what's more important to our family. That shouldn't diminish your self-worth though. In fact, it should only strengthen our desire to stay healthy so that we can continue to be the right example for our family.

I know you'll find a way to make this happen by setting and achieving bigger and bigger milestones.

You're totally capable of achieving your goals - and you're worth it. I wish you the best.

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."

Theia said...

I can vouch for the morning workouts. It's hard the first few weeks (I skipped as many as I did), but now that my internal clock has adjusted itself I *love* working out in the morning. I'm generally up at 5:30 four days per week for workouts, plus whatever I do on the weekends (or an extra workout after work like a yoga class). It was hard at first, but it's totally worth it. Good luck!