New year, new goals -- Gotta love it!

 

The past couple of years have been a blur for so many of us. Sure, we’ve set fitness goals, mileage goals, nutritional goals, weight loss (or maintenance) goals, and more.

 Maybe we’ve met those goals. And maybe not.  It's OK.

 

It’s time for grace … and more than a little gusto.

 Were your favorite races canceled (or transformed into virtual events)? Did injury or illness hold you back? Did quarantining keep you from the gym, the track, running clubs, or training sessions with others?

 

It’s a brand-new year, a brand-new start, and a brand-new clock.

 What goals have you set for yourself this year?

 I’m all-in again to run the year in mileage. This will be my sixth time in a row. And I’m in a running club for which we are all encouraged to set yearly goals. Mine will match the year again. I aim to clock 2,022 miles in 2022.

 

Hey, I’m slow, but I go.

 I’d also like to find my missing abs. But that’s another story.

 

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Image/s: Created by this user on online generator

 

Feel free to follow Runderdog on Twitter, as well as Run Run Run in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois (Runderdog Runs the Midwest)

Engaging abs with Planksgiving

 

Who’s got a hunger for stronger abs? The holiday season is racing towards us, bringing belly-busting bounty of favorite feasts. Most of us are already craving our favorite seasonal indulgences.

 Just the thought of it all makes my belt feel snugger.

 I guess it’s time to firm up my fitness goals, putting my midsection to work before Turkey Day arrives, followed soon by a whirlwind of holiday festivities.

 

 

 Enter Planksgiving.

 The premise is pretty simple. It’s simply a series of plankings, with the time goal increasing slightly each day. The grand finale is a three-minute plank on Thanksgiving. (I strongly recommend doing this BEFORE the feast.)

 My Planksgiving check-in chart is in the sidebar here. Feel free to adapt it for your own use, or create your own (You can also find plenty of similar calendar charts online, although the daily time goals vary somewhat.)

 

Who’s with me?

 Pick your plank. Plank from your toes to your hands. Plank from your knees to your elbows. Do side planks, if you prefer. The most important thing is to get on the floor and get it done.

 This way, when we belly up to the Thanksgiving table, we won’t jiggle like the Jello mold or the cranberry sauce. We’ll strengthen our stuffing.

 Anything after that is just gravy.

 

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Image/s: public domain image

 

Feel free to follow Runderdog on Twitter, as well as Run Run Run in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois (Runderdog Runs the Midwest) on Facebook. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

Holiday fitness challenges kick me into gear

This elf cannot simply stay on a shelf.

As the final stretch of the year approaches, some of us may need an extra push to keep running, working out, and pursuing overall physical fitness. I know I do! 

Annually, I’ve checked off most of the races on my calendar and met many of my mileage goals for the year by now. It’d be easy to just sit back, prop my feet up, and zone out with the TV remote and a pile of favorite snacks.

(I’ll probably do some of that anyway, but just go with me here.)

In this crazy COVID pandemic year, most running races have either canceled or transitioned to virtual events. In many cases, I simply chose not to register (if I hadn’t done so already), once the whole social distancing nightmare became clear. That means (like multitudes of runners), I have had to find means of motivation elsewhere. Upcoming race deadlines simply didn’t happen in 2020.

I think we all hope 2021 will bring an altogether different picture.

Either way, fitness has to happen. We all have our reasons, whether we’re burning calories, keeping illness at bay, or just loving being active. For me, I’m fighting multiple sclerosis, as well as middle-age frumpiness. So I’m gonna keep running and exercising and pursuing strength training.

The holiday season (whether we gather with loved ones or not) brings all sorts of extra dietary delights (and downfalls). Aiming to be proactive, I’m making myself publicly accountable right here.

This year, I have signed on for these holiday fitness challenges:

• 2020 December Crunch
• Merry Miles 2020
• Zooma Holiday Challenge
• Run the Year Holiday Streaker Challenge
  

I can see the end of the road for my Run the Year goal of 2020 miles in 2020.

And, at November’s end, we will complete the Stepping Up for Heroes Challenge, produced by Fort 2 Base in conjunction with Fitness Bank.

You can track my progress and find additional information on these challenges by looking in my blog sidebar. (Mobile users: Choose WEB VIEW to see these.)

(Full disclosure: I am a race ambassador for Fort 2 Base, Stepping Up for Heroes, and Zooma.)

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• Relapse Perhaps

 Image/s: Adapted from public domain artwork

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

2,019 miles in 2019? Here we go!

It’s a brand-new year. Runners have re-set our personal goal charts for 2019. All our year-to-date mileage totals reverted to zero on New Year’s Day. We’re plotting our routes on new charts. We’re penciling in future races and runs on new calendars. We’re recording new monthly miles on calendars and online trackers.

What’s your 2019 running goal?

Here’s mine – or at least one of them. I re-registered for the Run the Year Challenge. That means I’m signed up to run 2,019 miles in 2019. 

That’s a whole lotta miles, right?

But I hope to get it done. Actually, this will be my third year in a row in this annual running goal program. I met the total each year (even a little ahead of time). But anything can happen in 12 months. I am grateful that I wasn’t sidelined long-term by injuries or illness. Multiple sclerosis tried to topple me a few times along the way, but the miles somehow added up anyway.

That means I’m game to try this crazy challenge again in 2019.

So here we go! Who’s with me?

Hey, there’s a finishers medal involved and new bibs (OK, online images of bibs) and a tee shirt involved. Gotta try to make it fun, right?

I'll be recording my progress on this site. Please c'mon back, and see how I do. (I could use the accountability.)

Images:

Adapted from public domain photo

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. And I am happy to share my RUNDERDOG ambassador code for 10% off on Bondi Band Athletic Headbands, Accessories, and Fashions. (Simply enter the code at online checkout.).