Fitness Peer Pressure

Every January, I make the typical New Year's Resolution list that includes eating more vegetables, volunteering somewhere, exercising more, etc. Typically I hold fast to these resolutions until things begin to slide right around March or April. It's discouraging.

This year, however, in order to stay true to the exercise regime, I began to immediately spout off at the mouth to just about anyone that I was going to run in the Kaysville Rotary Club 5K on July 4th. I hadn't really run consecutively since the good old days on the soccer team in high school so this was a boastful claim, yet if I told enough people I was going to do it, I'd be held accountable. It's a good thing, too, because just like clockwork, right around March I started to give up on the running thing.

Yet my big mouth came through for me (along with the very much appreciated companionship of my newly-arrived from India sister Emily) and we both picked up the slack and kept training for our very first race. Just look at how proud we were after it:
I actually was wearing running shoes during the race and do not typically have a special needs face, but you can still sense the glow of achievement. As we watched fireworks on our roof that night, we talked big about our next race ("This 5K business is easy; should we run a 10K? Half-marathon?), but a definite goal wasn't agreed upon.

Sure enough, we soon stopped running. It's boring and takes too long. I like TV and naps, so leave me in peace, please. However, you're right: I'm not a spring chicken anymore and really don't want a heart attack in this lifetime, so we've picked a race for this fall. Not only is it a 5 miler, but it's on Thanksgiving morning.

I know, that's crazy: who would want to get up early on the laziest and most glutinous day of the year? Hmph. But that's our current goal and since everyone in the world will undoubtedly be reading this blog, it's now official. Wish me luck and pester me, please.