2020 Resolutions: Make plans for progress and let the results follow.

Happy New Year! It's our busiest time of year. The time that everyone starts a new page in their book and that often includes a promise for better health and habits.
This year PURENERGY's focus is on consistency and progress. We believe that if you focus on the process of better health, the results will follow.

I’d like to take the chance to share the story of a friend with you. Sibyl and I met at summer camp in Ridgecrest, NC many many mannnnny years ago. Thanks to the beauty of social media I have witnessed her amazing commitment to herself over 2019. She is mom with young kids, a wife, and holds down a full time job. Through all of this she was able to commit to a lofty and adventurous 2019 resolution….

Sibyl, what was your resolution for 2019?

My 2019 resolution was to complete one 5k race per month.

What made you come up with the idea for this?

I've always had new year's resolutions, mostly focused around fitness, weight loss, etc.  They were typically very numbers focused: lose x pounds, run y miles per week, get my mile time to z.  The problem was that inevitably I wouldn't hit the specific number in the timeline I wanted, I'd get frustrated, and abandon the goal pretty quickly.  I knew I wanted to do more with my running, but I didn't want to get too focused on long distances.  I ran a marathon before having children and I knew I wouldn't be able to commit to that type of distance.  I liked the idea of doing a race per month, with no plan for specific times, just to be more consistent with my running.  The consistency was what I really wanted to address with this goal.  I also knew that I could do a 5k without a significant amount of added time investment since I was already going to a gym I love 3-5 times per week.

What did you take away from this journey?

It was really incredible, to be honest; it was so much more than I expected.  The first few races were tough.  They were cold weather runs, but that was part of why this resolution appealed to me.  I designed it to help me be consistent and get outdoors, even when Wisconsin weather gave me the perfect excuse to stay indoors.  

The best part of this journey was how it ended up inspiring other people, especially my five year old daughter.  She never heard me talk about how I needed to run to lose weight.  She only heard me talk about how I wanted to go running for the sake of running.  Most of the races I signed up for had a kids race at the beginning, which my daughter loved.  I also found a kids race series that she signed up for.  She wants to run ALL THE TIME now.  She talks about how she wants to eat her vegetables so she can be "fast and strong like mama."  It makes me so happy and proud because I didn't have that type of example growing up.  My husband took the kids (2yo and 5yo) to almost every single race to cheer me on and it was always amazing to see them at the finish line. 

The photos are from a race in November.  My friend, Erica, paced me to a PR (so close to my ultimate goal of a sub-30 minute 5k) and my kids were there to help me ring the PR bell.  Lots of feelings right there!

Another great outcome was the friends I made throughout the year.  I work out at OrangeTheory and we have a great group of people who also do 5ks and 10ks (and farther) throughout the year.  I signed up for a lot of races that I knew my gym friends would be at and it was great being able to get to know them all a little bit better (even though they suckered me into doing a half-marathon!).  One of my great friends, Erica, is an amazing runner; she ran in a few races with me and I enjoyed spending that time with her.  It's awesome to be with friends who have similar goals, doing something that is good for us.

Through this journey, I realized/remembered that I CAN be consistent and I CAN accomplish my fitness goals.  I hadn't felt that sense of accomplishment around fitness since before I had kids (5.5 years ago), so that was a really great outcome for me.

Do you have big plans for a 2020 resolution?

I don't quite know yet, to be honest.  I've had people suggest that I go for a 10k per month, but I know that is not realistic for me right now.  I just cannot commit to the longer distances.  I may just stick with the 5k per month!

Any shout outs to friends, family and gym staff that helped make this all possible?

Like I said above, one of the best parts of this goal was spending time with people who have similar goals.  My gym friends are supportive, funny, inspirational people and many of them were there for most of my races (because they were also running), which was awesome.  My coaches at my gym were also terrific because they kept pushing me along in my regular classes (half of the class is on the treadmill).  Going to my regular classes kept me in shape to do my races without too much additional road training.  One of my friends from the gym became a certified nutritionist this year and she's helped me better understand what my body needs to have better runs.  Finally, my husband was incredible.  He had to do a lot more to get the kids ready in the mornings I went to the gym or ran outside and he never complained about it; and I loved that he brought the kids to my races to cheer me on.

PURENERGY friends... does this sound like the resolution for you? Here are a few local opportunities to get you started in 2020. 
January 11th Tongue River Community Center New Year, New Start 5k 
February 8 Tongue River Community Center Cupid Chase
March 14th Sheridan Jaycess Run til yer Green 5K.