A Year Ago

I wrote this post about how I have a really hard time forming habits but have no trouble breaking them. This time last year, I was triumphantly soaring through day after day of getting up in the morning to work out.

This year, right now, I'm having trouble getting myself out the door for three runs a week. Forget any extra like Pilates or yoga or strength-training. And I'm starting to freak out about running an 18 mile race in five weeks. ARG!

The last three paragraphs of the post are an especially good reminder:

...I have done this before. I haven't been a yo-yo dieter, with my weight bouncing up and down regularly, but I have been at this point before. I've gotten excited about exercise and healthy eating and even stuck with it for eight months or so two times in the past. Each time, some circumstance has given me a convenient reason to stop and I've climbed back up to the weight and down to the level of un-fitness I was before - a fact that can be incredibly discouraging to think about.

What I've realized, though, is that letting the baggage of the past weigh me down isn't going to help. I don't know how long it will take before I get to the point that I've truly formed a habit and it's harder NOT to exercise - maybe never. But, I'm committed to taking it one day at a time and not letting one bad day or one bad week or one bad decision derail my efforts permanently.

And I'm sure I can count on a little help from my friends if I do start slipping up.

So, it looks like I made a commitment. Sometimes commitments to myself are the easiest to break. Not this time. Even if I have to hang on with my teeth for the next few weeks or months, I will get back to the place where waking up at 6 a.m. to do some strength-training or yoga is a pleasure rather than a burden. Until then, it will be something I do, whether I want to or not.

Dwight sets us straight.

Also, I paid for races through May already. At the moment, I'm hating myself a little bit for being so eager. When I get to May and am still running, I'll think I was pretty damn smart.

Heard on the radio today: You're not going to get the butt you want by sitting on the butt you have.

True workout confession: I ran 10.47 miles in 2:19:01 - which was about 1 minute slower than my suggested training pace. I'm getting