After completing our first 90 days of P90X a couple (going on a few) months ago, Robbie and I have had a hard time kick-starting our next round. We'll get a few days into it, hit a snag, and stop for a week...repeat. It is so hard to remember how GOOD you feel at the end of a tough 60-90 minute work-out when you are trying to start it after a 12 hour work-day. But let's be honest - that's just an excuse. If I really want to work out and get in shape, I will.
We've been talking since the end of last year about doing a 5k called the Warrior Dash that takes place in several states, including Georgia, every year (this coming year is only its third year here, so it's kind of a new thing). Anyone who has known me most of my life would know that it's a rather outlandish idea for me to be considering, but working on getting in shape has interested me in pushing myself in ways I wouldn't have seen before. What it all boils down to, really, is that I want one of these kick-ass pictures:
I mean, who DOESN'T want a picture of themselves covered in mud and leaping over a fire pit??? All joking aside, I really want to prove to myself that I can do something like this. So, on May 19th at 11 am Robbie and I will be in a 500 person wave starting the course. This gives me nearly 9 months to get serious about eating healthy and working out. I've been doing pretty good on the eating part...not so great on the working out. P90X is a hardcore workout series, but it can get boring standing in front of the TV every day. This is where the idea of starting hiking came in.
We went for our first hike ever yesterday at Mistletoe State Park, and it was quite the adventure. I luckily dressed appropriately (yay for Five Finger shoes), and Robbie carried snacks and water in a backpack. Being that this was our first ever hiking day trip, the OBVIOUS choice was for us to choose the longest and most challenging trail in the park. I was a bit apprehensive about bugs and spiders and plants (Oh, my!), but I eventually got better about screaming every time a spider web smeared across my eyes, or lips, or neck, simply because it happened SO OFTEN. We did pretty well for the majority of the hike. Near the last couple miles, every time we had to go uphill we were groaning. The last half mile or so was pretty rough as I thought my feet might just fall off. And don't even get me started on all the muscles in my ankles and calves that are sore today! In spite of everything, though, I have found something I believe I will grow to love tremendously. It was just the two of us working our way through the wilderness, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying the extreme quiet. There is a very peaceful quality to feeling like you are truly in the middle of nowhere when you can't hear any sounds of civilization.
Robbie is as excited about this new activity as I am. We got Camelbak packs so we can rough it in style as we start expanding our hiking horizons. I think he has at least 10 sites bookmarked for new places we can explore. And that's just around Augusta...there are so many trails near Atlanta to check out as well that we will be occupied for months. I figure if I could get through a 7 mile hike in the shape I'm in now, with a little cardio and upper body strength training I should be able to get through a 3.2 mile hell run/obstacle course in May...right??? And maybe my eyes won't look so brilliantly blue by then, because my face won't be fire engine red.
Eh, who am I kidding? That beet complexion comes naturally...all the better to bring out my baby blues!
