Let's start with the good stuff.
This was my second complete year racing and had it's ups and downs. To start I had a PR in the 5k in March (which I later disregarded due to the course not being the correct length. Damnit, Naperville). And competed in my first half Marathon in the Lucky 21k. Which was followed immediately by a bad back injury that I got while dead lifting. BLEH.
Soon after my injury, I tried to transition from Vibram Five Fingers to traditional running shoes. I gave it a good four months, but I just couldn't get comfortable running like that. I felt like I was always trying to step over the heel of my shoe. Plus I started getting pain in my toes. So come August I switched back to VFF. I used them for my first triathlon in Naperville and less than a month later knocked out a very good PR at the Shorewood Scoot. More than a minute faster than I had run before.
The summer prior to August was pretty light as I just couldn't get going in the Adidas Adios I was running in and I was still struggling with the back injury and developed a rib injury in late July. Much chiropractic help eventually straightened that out and I felt much more comfortable come September.
Completed my second triathlon in September and finished fourth in my division. I still feel like I could have won it, had my nutrition been better. We'll see how next year goes.
In October, I competed in my second Half Marathon and had a bad IT band issue rear it's head. Much use of the foam roller has really helped in that aspect.
So it's December, and I've had to get my cardio back after the IT issue (oh and a neck injury in October limited my training as well) and I'm almost back to where I need to be. I've switched over to Merrell Road Gloves as my primary running shoes. I'm getting used to them, but finding they're very close to the VFF but provide me with just a little more padding to keep my feet intact.
Goals for next year include the following. Get my weight down to a more manageable 180, Compete in 5-7 triathlons, win my age group in at least one race, get my PR under 21 minutes for 5k and continue building my personal training business.
So now onto the excuse portion of my blog..
I hear all sorts of excuses. My favorite being the following two. 1) no time to train, 2) no money to train.
For every time I hear these two things, I no doubt have these same people do the following. Post on facebook about all the different TV shows they're watching, post about the new tattoo they're getting, the McDonald's and Pizza they're buying, the drinking they're doing, the trips they're taking, the nails they're spending a bill on, the tanning packages they have, etc.
Seriously. A personal trainer is a MUCH better investment than any of the previous things. Getting smashed is overrated. This is coming from someone that used to drink 3-4 times a week. Not being able to remember where I spent 80 bucks is something I do NOT miss. Those nails you're dropping a ton of money on? Guys look at your body first, and not having painted nails isn't going to kill you. Having high cholesterol and being obese will. That tan? A fit white body looks better than a large overweight body. That tatoo? Great. But wouldn't you rather be able to play sports without feeling like you're sucking air through a straw?
In conclusion, STOP with the excuses. You can workout for less than an hour a day (I have clients with kids, full time jobs and they can do it). A trainer is a relatively inexpensive investment especially when you drop your fast food eating habits, smoking, and whatever excesses you have have.
I've heard them all. And they're all crap.
