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Striiving to Get Over this Slump

November 1, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

About four years ago pedometer challenges were really big in my workplace. Aiming for 10,000 steps a day, people did team challenges, take-the-stairs challenges, and all kinds of other things designed to motivate the unmotivated. I was training for my third half-marathon at the time so didn’t really feel the need to jump on board that particular bandwagon, but I tend to be sort of an organizational culture geek and I think getting involved is important. Plus, higher-ups tend to notice if you don’t participate in these sorts of things. Or maybe they just notice if you do. In any case, sticking a piece of plastic that can count on my waistband is worth it if it gets me on the good list. So that’s what I did.

One day at lunchtime as part of the motivational rah-rah, we had a speaker come to talk about how great tracking your footsteps is. At one point he asked the crowd to guess how many steps it takes to burn off one M&M. I can’t remember what the number turned out to be, but it was a lot of steps. Like, 439,000 or something. Okay, maybe not that many, but it was a seriously big number considering the goal was 10,000 steps per day. It gave me a newfound gratitude for those long runs I was doing at the crack of dawn each Sunday.

I played along for a while and then, as tends to happen, the collective enthusiasm for step counting petered out. One day I forgot to put my pedometer on and I came across it again several months later in the bottom drawer of my dresser. So much for that.

It didn’t really matter because I didn’t need it at the time. Shortly after that I got pregnant and when I needed motivation to exercise I had a very perky Denise Austin and her four pregnant assistants on DVD to keep me going. (Hey, it worked.) Then I had a baby and, when I had recovered from the c-section, started running again so I could run one of my favourite races – an 8K, which I ran when Connor was four months old. And I just kept going. Until sometime this summer.

I was fairly active while I was on leave because for me exercise has always been a critical part of not feeling crazy, but for some reason when I weaned off all meds except the anti-depressant I seemed to eliminate all motivation for exercise at the same time. And now I’m writing posts about needing maternity clothes when I’m not pregnant. I am now the unmotivated.

It’s time to do something about it, and as part of the Just.Be.Enough. team I have an opportunity I think will kick me in the pants. A few of us are going to try out a Striiv, described as a “sleek fitness device that fits on your keychain and counts every step you take.” Ah, but there’s more.

This device gives you little kicks in the pants throughout the day in the form of games, personal challenges, and opportunities to have donations made to charity. All of that is powered by physical activity, naturally, and if games and challenges aren’t enough to get me going, having each step count towards a donation to charity (at no cost to me) just might. Well, that or the fact that our JBE team has decided to do a little challenge amongst ourselves.

The other team members have their devices already but since I’m in the Great White North I’m still waiting for mine to arrive on my doorstep. (Note to Canada Customs – give it up!) When it does get here, well, if it weren’t counter to the JBE spirit to say I’m going to kick some butt I totally would say it. Kidding, of course. I’ll take motivation in whatever form it’s provided.

We’ll be writing about our progress weekly with a wrap-up post on Just.Be.Enough. every Wednesday. Feel free to follow along, and if I need a little extra kick in the pants you’re welcome to give me one.

***

Here’s some info if you’re interested or want to get a Striiv for yourself so you can challenge us (bring it!).

Striiv features include:

Walkathon in your pocket in which every step counts toward a donation to charity, at no cost to the user.
Activity-based games where progress is based on walking, running, and taking the stairs.
Daily challenges and trophies to reward activity.
Charts and graphs to track progress. (Yes! I love charts and graphs!)
TruMotion Technology which is always on and always sensing if you are walking, running, and even climbing stairs.

Find out more at www.striiv.com.

Share your thoughts on Twitter (@striiv) or Facebook.

Striiv videos can be found on their YouTube channel, including a new video of the device in use.

Striiv is available for $99 on www.striiv.com, or on HSN and HSN.com with an exclusive holiday bundle for $99.95.

I received a Striiv (or will) to allow me to participate in this challenge but was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own, and if this doesn’t get me back to regular exercise I fear I’ll have to buy a new wardrobe.

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: running, Striiv

Signs It’s Too Long Since You Ran

October 27, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Until Wednesday I hadn’t been for a run for a while, despite very good intentions. Then a couple of weeks ago we went to the beach and I ended up in my running shoes in the water thanks to a certain 3-year-old who wasn’t listening very well, but that was a perfect excuse to replace my way-too-old runners and kickstart the process. Which I did, and thus I present you with:

10 signs it’s been too long since your last run:

Your sports bra is so well buried you practically have to excavate your underwear drawer to find it.
Your dog doesn’t even look up when you get your runners out, because he certainly wouldn’t think to expect he might be getting a run.
Your dog also doesn’t get up from the couch when you actually put your runners on because, well, see #2.
You have come to associate your running hat with covering up (bad) weekend hair.
You put your running vest on and it’s a little, um, tight around the hips. (Stupid vest.)
When getting your running vest out of the closet, you notice that your running jacket looks awfully clean, as though it had been hanging there for a while without being worn (or something).
You can’t find the shorter leash you usually use when running with your dog, so you take the retractable one instead. Meh, it works.
When you get to the trail, your dog goes absolutely berserk. (Yes, all right, it’s been awhile. Noted.)
Running hurts.
Despite the hurt, when you get going at a decent pace your thought process goes like this: “Hey, look at me! Not bad. This is practically a tempo run! WOO HOO! I OWN THIS TRAIL! Except… Gosh, it kind of hurts to breathe. What’s that, dog? Oh, you have to pee? Okay, let’s pause for a minute. I don’t mind. In fact, let’s just walk the rest of the route. It will be good for me to properly cool down. Yeah, that’s it…”

And then, possibly, when you get to the end of the trail you’ll feel like a bit of a wuss for having quit early because, despite the pain – and the pouring rain – the run felt pretty damn great.

Lesson learned. I can’t wait to go again.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: lists, living life, running

Why I Run

June 16, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

At first all I hear is silence. Then birdsong. The crunch of my feet on gravel. The rhythmic sound of my breath.

I am running.

***

I started in running in January 2005. I hated going to the gym, so I figured I’d try something with a goal in mind and registered for a 10k clinic.

At first one minute of running made me feel like I was going to DIE.

I went to the run clinic every Wednesday night and dutifully did my solo runs two other days a week. I progressed, increasing intervals until I got to the point where I thought I might actually be able to do it.

And I did. That year at the end of April I ran my first 10K.

But I didn’t stop running.

Why do I run?

I run because it’s hard. Every run, good or bad, feels like an accomplishment.

I run because it gets me outside into the fresh air.

I run because a sunlit trail often seems like the place on Earth to be.

I run because when it rains everything feels refreshed, even me.

I run because, as I wrote before, it’s a battle between mind and body and it’s good for both.

I run because I have friends who run and I run with them.

I run because I’ve made new friends through running.

I run because often when running I’m also writing – drafting things in my head and thinking about the right turn of phrase as my feet pound the path.

I run because the trails are there.

Because I run, I get alone time I might not otherwise take time for.

Because I run, I’ve seen my expression reflected on other runners’ faces – a grimace signalling determination through pain.

Because I run, I also know what an expression of joy looks like on the face of someone out in the fresh air and sunshine doing something that’s good for them.

Because I run I see more dragonflies.

Because I run, I get to see my dog in his happy place, skipping along, sniffing, falling behind, catching up, surging ahead, pushing me farther.

Because I run I have learned to push myself – to not quit when I want to because I remember my dad’s advice and I’ve learned it’s true: “If you stop when it’s hard you never improve.”

Because I run I know what it’s like to cross the finish line of a half-marathon and receive a medal for finishing something I once thought I would never, ever be able to do.

***

I see sparks of sunlight glinting off the lake. Shadows bounce and twirl, reflecting the dance of the trees above them.

Today I ran.

Because I am a runner.