I am scattered as ever in my blogging. I have two ideas today. First, big excitement and fear followed by motivational ideas and tips for getting moving!
Ok, I am a little over excited about this Adventure Race. I am actually, in all honesty, totally worried and a little freaked out! I have been training but I have also been slacking off a bit! Plus, I have NO idea how to really go hardcore on the bike trails – maybe it’ll work out!?? It sounds like such and amazing event. Around 100 teams were in this race last year. I can’t even imagine! It is like a new world has been opened to me. I had NO idea that there were so many crazy outdoor adventure races and events! Night trail runs, 5K, 10K and even 50K runs on trails! Half marathons and marathons through the woods. People are INTO this yet I never even knew it existed. Weird. What else is out there? SO… here are a couple of trail shots from last week. The Perry State Lake Hiking and Biking Trails are gorgeous, challenging and pretty close to home for me. I took these with my HTC Droid. I use it to track my distance and speed – apps are so handy! (Runkeeper Pro)
After all the forested trail runs and biking, I returned to my old stand by Friday, the Nature Trail close to home. It is still beautiful and the perfect 5K run/wog spot. I took the girls with me and enjoyed a quick trip. It has suddenly turned HOT and hit 100* with an even hotter heat index. I chose to wog at the Nature Trail because there will be a portion of road running in the adventure race and it is close to home.
I started wogging a couple of years ago now, maybe even three. Steadily walking and occasionally jogging. I have done a couple of serious 5K’s trying my best here in Oskaloosa and a couple in Springfield with my Dad’s side of the family (not as seriously since those are the Turkey Trot and it’s pretty chilly, plus several thousand people make it hard to really GO).
Who knew that I would be “athletic”? I offer here words of encouragement to others, and the FIRST TIP! Keep going. Don’t stop. Enjoy the activity. Stretch! Cross train! Keep moving. It turns out that once you truly make a habit it is GREAT! I feel so much better than I did before – this is weird as I really didn’t recognize that I didn’t feel good in the first place.
My other tips… don’t worry about all those workout clothes. At least not at first. Get some comfy shorts, a good sports bra (I often wear two and I’m not that endowed) and some decent shoes and get moving! Some of the gear does turn out to be handy but the first step is to get it going on! This is me! My fave outfit is a cutoff t-shirt over the sports bra. I do sometimes wog with just a sports bra but then there isn’t anything to mop up your sweat!
When you buy shoes, wear them around the house for a bit before going outside. If you have a treadmill give it a whirl with the new shoes. 
I have been fairly happy with Asics or New Balance – Asics are my favorites. Nike’s make my feet go numb fast. I also often purchase my shoes at Kohl’s – wait for a sale then get your Kohl’s charge discount coupon in the mail. Eventually you will get a 30% off. Poof, $80 shoes reduced to $65 then to $50! Not a bad deal! I wogged outside in these new shoes for the first time.
Use music to motivate yourself. Create a playlist and go with it. Dance while you wog! (Not on the trail though, or in traffic. Too dangerous to move without all your senses in those settings.) Don’t forget to punch the air, do arm waves, circles or just pump your arms. When you let your arms dangle, all the blood goes to the hands and they get swollen and puffy for a bit. Plus, the more you move your arms the better your workout!
Last tip, find a friend to exercise with at least once a week. You won’t blow it off because it is fun to see your friends! If you have an amazing schedule you could do this several times a week. Majorly motivating to exercise with a friend, not just making you do it but also pushing you to challenge yourself.
This is the official #162. Great view at the loop portion of the trail. I let the girls cool down in the lake. I love living in the wilderness and taking advantage of outdoor exercise to see the world. I guess that is another tip, take a rest and stretch or take pics when you need to! The old adage “no pain, no gain” is not exactly correct – pain means you should stop or slow down. Achiness means you should do the same exercise again and stretch more! 
The girls thought it was hot but worth it to wog at their favorite trail. I don’t take them on the wooded trails just because I can’t keep them in view the whole time, they love running in and out and around but I’m afraid PoGo would chase something and get lost. She is a tracker! I hope you will consider getting out and about for some energizing exercise! Enjoy
~ Denise
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