2100 FIT 60

And so it begins.

To be mindful is to be "actively attentive, or deliberately keeping something in mind." As I start my seventh decade (and no that does not mean I'm 70) my goal for the next 12 months is to live mindfully. In particular, I am striving to be "actively attentive" about how my choices and actions (or lack thereof) impact my health, physical and mental well-being, and "deliberately keep in mind" what I need to do to have a healthy, happy, and content life.

Several months ago I started thinking that I wanted to undertake a big challenge for this year--a physical challenge. I needed something exciting to push me out the door or down to the training room in the basement. At that point, I had completed nine marathons and had my tenth one coming up. I had been trying to get the tenth race over and done with for two or three years, but had not been motivated to get the training in. I still don't really know why I lost my training "mojo." Part of it, I think is that I know I will always be slow. Breaking five hours would be a HUGE accomplishment! Heck, breaking 5:15 would blow me away. My fastest race was 5:25:08 and that was when I was really committed to the training. I also know that I can do the distance, so that's not a challenge anymore. Anyway, I did the tenth race in November even though I wasn't well prepared and crossed it off my list.

As a run/walker who cross-trains with a triathlon team during the spring and summer, I decided to do a run/walk-bike-swim challenge. In 12 months I would run/walk 1,000 miles, bike 1,000 miles, and swim 100 miles. January 1, 2013 was going to be my start date. I had signed up for the Goofy Race-and-a-Half Challenge at Disney World last summer and thought that training for and completing this back-to-back half marathon and marathon on January 12 & 13 would be a great jump start to my personal 2100 FIT 60 Challenge.

Did I train for the Goofy? Well, I slogged relatively untrained through a marathon on November 2 and then had to recover, didn't I? And then it was winter. And then we travelled, although I did take advantage of being in the relatively good weather of New Orleans over Christmas to get some miles in. Blah, blah, blah. December 31, 2012 I came down with the flu. Believe me when I say I willed myself well, since I was due to leave for Florida on January 9. I did complete the Goofy in the allotted time for both races, which is, I think, a testament to my base fitness. But I haven't done much since then.

However, my base fitness level won't support my long term goal of being a healthy AND active 85 year old. At my 85th birthday party I want people talking about how fiesty I am and how they can't keep up with me! Sitting and playing games on my tablet while I drink my morning coffee instead of working out is stealing my mind, my flexibility, my muscle, and precious time that could be better spent. Not turning off the lights at night at a reasonable hour is robbing me of energy. Not choosing to pay attention to my diet is not only causing me to gain weight, but--since food supplies the building blocks for everything in our bodies--it's turning me into a blob of heaven knows what!

I've revised things a bit. With my birthday falling on a Monday this year I've decided that March 18, 2013 through March 17, 2014 is the perfect timeframe for my 2100 FIT 60 Challenge. The Tri team started up for the season last week, so I have those trainings sessions available. I've committed with a couple of .people at work to do a 12-week Body-for-Life challenge, primarily to push myself to do resistance training again, as well as focus on my eating. I'm a coach with a women's Couch to 5k group which gets me out the door a couple of times a week, but a need to do more on the running/walking end of things. I've got some planning and organizing yet to do, but the Challenge is definitely a go.

Onward and, hopefully, upward!