How does your Garden Grow?

Here's another article from my church's website.

Spring is just around the corner and after a long, cold, hard winter, thoughts of spring remind us of new life, energy and new beginnings. Spring is the perfect time to plant a garden and if you’ve made your New Year’s resolution to become healthier, let’s talk about what you need to plant in your GARDEN.

First you’ll need to plant 3 rows of "SQUASH"

1. "Squash" your fear
2. "Squash" those feelings of failure
3. "Squash" low self-esteem

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Armed with this promise from God, plant 5 rows of "Peas".

1. PLAN:

In order to start on the journey off the couch, you need a plan. "Of course!" you’re saying, but you would be surprised how many people just "know" that they need to do something but don’t have a plan. Just wanting to do it is not enough.

First, you need to determine realistic and yet challenging goals for yourself. Next, you need to decide WHEN you’re going to exercise and WHAT you’re going to do. Don’t just leave it to chance and hope that you can somehow fit some exercise in. My clients probably got tired of hearing me say, "Knowledge is power. " But, it’s true. Spend some time researching the basics of exercise or consult a personal trainer who can help you construct a plan that’s right for you.

After you’ve decided on a basic plan, get even more specific.

Ask yourself these questions on Sunday:

• How many days am I going to work out this week?
• How long am I going to be working out in each session?
• Will you be at the gym? outside? In your basement?

A sample plan might look like this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Walk for 30 minutes and do 30 minutes of strength training. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday walk for 30 minutes. Your plan might need to be different. That’s OK. The point is; you need to find the plan that will work for YOU. The latest workout DVD or book will do you no good if it’s not something you can or will follow. A safe, realistic plan will give you the results you’re looking for and help safeguard against discouragement and injury.

2. PARTNER:

The next "P" is to have a partner in your workout plan for the week. Many people say that they can’t find a partner for exercise, but you might be surprised if you asked a neighbor. You’d be amazed at how much your motivation can increase when you combine socializing and exercising.

While training for my first marathon, I joined a running group that helped me tremendously. A warm bed is easier to get out of when you know that someone is waiting for you. Some people find this same kind of motivation from participating in group sports or fitness classes. Just don’t try to go it alone. That’s a recipe for discouragement. A partner can gently push you and hold you accountable. And don’t tell yourself that you’ll wait until you get into better shape and then you’ll workout with someone else. Do it now.

Building on our first "P" the PLAN and now our second "P" a PARTNER your workout plan could look like this:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday - Walking with neighbor
• Tuesday, Thursday - Strength train with personal trainer
• Saturday, Sunday - Rest or allow walking the dog to be my exercise for the day

3. PATIENCE:

One of the main reasons that people drop out of an exercise plan is that they get impatient. We all know the benefits of working out; both physically and mentally, so, why do we give up too easily? Well, for one thing, we forget that it took a little while for the weight to come on. It’s hard to swallow our pride and accept where we are in regards to our fitness. We focus on the past and not on the present. "I used to be a size 8!" "I used to be able to run a 7 minute mile in high school." We get so impatient to get back what we used to have, that we burn out too quickly.

The advertising industry knows that it’s tough for most people to be patient. Just look at any fitness magazine and you will see on the cover things like "Perfect Abs without doing any Work!" "Lose 10 pounds in three days!" The "quick fix" exercise plan is usually dangerous, definitely unhealthy and many times ineffective. Just remember, you didn’t put this weight on overnight: If you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis for a while, then I can guarantee that it will be hard in the beginning. But, be patient. You will get stronger and you will see results if you stick with it. It may be cliché but it’s true: "slow and steady wins the race.

4. PERSISTENCE:

The dictionary defines being persistent as refusing to give up in spite of opposition, obstacles, and discouragement; even to the point of being obstinate. I love this. In this highly sedentary world, we need to be so persistent in our efforts to stay healthy that some would call us obstinate. I tell my clients all the time that they just need to be consistent and stick with it. If working out five times a week is going to cause you to burn out and then do nothing the next week, then it’s better for you to work out only three times a week and do that consistently.

It is said that the marathon is just the final victory lap of all of the hard training and preparation. This is where you see results: stay with it; week after week. Make exercise a habit and a priority.

5. POSITIVE:

This brings us to our last P: Be Positive. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:14 " Do everything without complaining"

Believe it or not, even exercise can be done without complaining! :) Try to have fun with it and know that you are doing something worthwhile for your body.

Exercise improves your mood, helps you lose weight, helps combat depression and chronic illnesses and helps you sleep better. Need more reasons to do it? Come talk to me, I’ve got lots. We all know how important it is to exercise and be healthy. So, the question is, what’s in your garden? Do you have plenty of P’eas ?

Ten Ways to boost your Motivation

I wrote this article for my church's website and thought I'd cross post here.

Top Ten Ways to Boost your Motivation

Written by Kim Ogorek

The Link - Spring 2008

Having a hard time staying motivated to exercise? Check out these tips!

1. GOALS

Set goals for yourself: both long term and short term. When you reach a short-term goal, you should reward yourself with something; but not food.

2. HIT THE ROAD JACK!

Sign up for a race. Before you protest too much, races are fun and non competitive. People of all abilities and levels participate in races. Choose a 5K that’s three months away and send in the entry fee. If running or walking is not your thing, check out cycling or swimming races.

3. THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.

Studies show that people who exercise early in the morning stick with it more than people who exercise at different times of the day. It might have something to do with the fact that there usually aren’t too many conflicts in your schedule at 6:00 a.m. If you wait until later in the day, you might not get to it. Lay your clothes out the night before, set your alarm, heed your alarm. And enjoy the whole rest of your day knowing that you did something great for your body.

4. LET’S MAKE A DEAL!

Ok, now this one is going to sound weird, but sometimes I have to make a deal with myself in order to get some exercise in. If I REALLY don’t feel exercising, I tell myself something like this. "Self, I don’t really want to do this today. So, how about we just walk instead of run?" Or something like this: "Self, if you just run to the end of this block, you can be done." And almost every time, I end up doing more than I thought I would. Just getting out there and getting started is enough to get me going.

5. LOG IT

Keep a workout log. There are a lot of websites that help you track your workouts. Just seeing it in print helps me to go back and see my progress. Plus, I HATE to see lots of blanks in my logs.

6. BECOME A KID AGAIN

Workouts don’t always have to be "official". If I don’t feel like running or I can’t get to it, I need to get creative. For those of us who have kids, just playing tag or Red Rover in the backyard can be exercise. If you don’t have kids, borrow some from the neighborhood. OR You can make a game out of doing the housework. How quickly can you run up and down the stairs while doing laundry? OR How far away can I park? It’s not good to ALWAYS do your workouts this way, but it’s OK every once in awhile.

7. VISUALIZE IT

Find an inspirational quote and place it on your computer. Or, see if you can find a picture of an athlete that inspires you. Visual cues like this can really increase motivation.

8. BECOME A "MODEL" OF FITNESS

Call the fashion police! If you’re still in any ONE of the following items it may be time to rethink your wardrobe: 1.black socks 2. baggy sweatpants. 3. leg warmers Don’t do it! Get yourself some high quality technical clothing and the right shoes. Now, before you start thinking that I am WAY too high maintenance, think this through. If you dress in good exercise gear, you feel better while you’re exercising and therefore you are more likely to stick with it, not to mention the fact that good shoes are a must to safeguard your feet. Make sense? Now, get shopping!

9. LOSE THE EXCUSES

We’ve all made excuses not to work out from time to time. What about this one? "I’m already in shape. Round is a shape."

Think of what you commonly use as an excuse, and then come up with a good answer for it. For example, if your excuse is that you don’t have time, then rework your schedule. It could be that you are too busy. Work through your objections and find what will work for you to get out the door.

And the # 10 way to stay motivated is.....

10. FLIP THE SWITCH

Get creative! Do something different. If you’ve always been a runner, then start cycling. If you’ve always used free weights, then try machines. Mix it up! Try kickboxing! Go crazy!

Whatever you do, don’t give up. If you feel your motivation lacking, give one of these tips a try. What have you got to lose?

National Half Marathon

This race is in Washington D.C. I have run many races there before. I live about 35 miles west of DC and my friend Jeanne and I left home around 5:30. One quick stop to get coffee and we were on our way. The race started at 7:00 and we thought that we had plenty of time. Two wrong turns later and we find ourselves in downtown DC at about 6:45. To complicate matters, I had the bib # and chip of Jeanne's friend, Tatiana, who was running the full. ( her 2nd marathon) So, we're trying our darnest to get there, DC cops are yelling at us to get off the roads that are closed, totally crazy. At 7:05, Jeanne ends up pulling up alongside the start, totally illegal, and I just jump out, Tatiana's bib and chip in hand. Jeanne goes off to try to park somewhere. I realize that I don't even know what this girl looks like. I'm weaving through runners trying to get to the other side and screaming "TATIANA!!!" She turns around and says " Here I am!"
So, after she gets her stuff on, we just start running. I felt kind of guilty for her rough start, so I stayed with her for the first 5 miles. I then sped up and was able to run another negative split race. It was a very fun race. What other time are you going to see this section of DC? There was a group of high school dancers that were so great. They yelled my name and even put it in their rap. At the finish, which is all up hill, I set my sights on a woman to pass. I came up alongside her and she turned and saw me and poured it on. That was awesome, even though I couldn't catch her. I love pretending that it really matters whether I finish in 1:57 or 1:58. True sprinting at the finish. :) Which is always great after you've run 13 miles.


What a morning.... Jeanne ended up having to park a great distance aways and jumped in at mile 17 to run the last 9 miles with Tatiana. Next time, we'll METRO it in.


Here are my stats:
Mile 1- 9:00
m 2- 9:09
M3- 9:05
M4- 9:13
M5- 8:55
M6- 9:33
M7-8:48
M8-8:42
M9-8:35
M10- 8:26
M11-9:33 (taking my jacket off- really slowed me down)
M12- 8:17
M13-8:07

Final time: 1:57

Next up... . the LAWS Half Marathon on April 20th where I'll target a sub 1:50!

Stupid Little 10 miler

Yes, that really is the name for this race and not me venting. :) I LOVED THIS RACE!!

This is a small race about 30 miles west of me. I had never heard of it before, came across in an article online and thought, why not? My main goal race is the National Half Marathon this weekend, so I thought I would just go to this 10 miler and take it easy; have fun with it.

And it was fun. The race is held in a campground, along the Shenandoah River. The people there were so nice... runners and volunteers. Most of the time runners are nice, but it seemed extremely so at this race.

The race director said that IPODS would disqualify you. I had never seen such compliance with this rule. And I didn't even miss it. I actually think that this enhanced the race because runners were able to talk and encourage each other.

but let me back up to before the race started, the funniest thing happened in the porta potty line. I was talking to the girl in front of me. ( I like to talk, can you tell? ) And this man turned around and said very loudly, " I KNOW YOU!" " You were in front of me the whole time during the Reston 10 miler and I could never catch you. " " I'm going to be running with you."

I was like, Ok. ? I loved his boldness. So, Johnson (that's his name) and I chatted and started the race together. I kept it at a nice and easy pace for the first three miles. And after that, Johnson, dropped back a bit. The race course is out and back and even though I felt good, I kept holding back. We turned around at mile 5, of course, and then, finally at mile 8, I gave myself permission to pour it on. That was fun. I was able to pass people for the final 2 miles.

Final time was 1:31. So, the first half of the race was 46:00 and the second half was 44:00. Miles 7 -9 were in the 8:45 range and the last mile was 8:00 That shocked me. I think this means that I went out a little easy, don't you think?
But again, my goal race is this weekend, so I didn't want to "race" the whole thing. And passing people at the end is awesome.

I highly recommend this race if you ever find yourself in Berryville, Va. Afterwards, they had Krispy Kreme donuts and Coke. They gave out random awards ( the 32nd finisher) and funny trophies ( beauty queens and jockeys)

Six Months Later

I don't actually know how people keep these things up to date. I am just now writing again after 6 months or so. I have been running about 20 miles a week through the winter.
Spring has finally sprung though and everyone feels happier to be outside.

In January, i had a procedure called NovaSure done. ( you can google it for more info) This has greatly helped my running. I'm still not getting too much faster but I feel MUCH better. Just more energy in general.
I decided that I would set my sights on the National Half Marathon on March 30th.

Before I ran that I ran two 10 milers.

The first one was the Reston 10 miler.

Here is the report on that one...

I decided to run this race at the very last minute- like Friday. This is a small local race- there were probably 200 runners there at the most today. I'm preparing for the National Half Marathon in a couple of weeks and my weekly mileage has been lower than it should be. I thought that this race might be a good kick in the pants to get me going these last couple of weeks.

The night before my husband and I had a rare date night. We went to Benihana's and I ate eel and drank not one but two cosmos: not my typical night before a race food and drink.

But race day dawned, and I felt OK. It was raining and dreary, windy and just a little cold. We were all huddled inside the high school before the start. My friends went to warm up but I was having none of it. I didn't want to get out there until the last minute. The race starts and I realize I have no plan whatsoever. I thought it might be fun to see how long I could maintain the pace of my friends. They started out at about an 8 minute pace which I knew I couldn't keep. That lasted about 3 miles for me and then they sped up. All the while it's raining, not pouring, but just nice, solid precipitation. One of those races where you keep taking your gloves off and putting them back on. I then just went with what felt good, up and down the hills. At the end, I was able to speed up some to back around an 8 minute mile to finish in 1:28. I'm surprised I had fun with this one even with the cold rain. A 10 miler is the perfect distance. Not too short, not too long.

Afterwards, I "raced" home to take a quick shower and then head to church. No time to cool down and stretch. :)