January means resolutions for many people. I don’t know about you, but I suck at resolutions. I would set too lofty of a goal, do great for a few weeks then miss the mark just once and it all fell apart.
If only getting our daily exercise was as easy as a daily cookie. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
I make goals now. Isn’t that a better word than resolution? I think so. For me a goal means something I’m working toward which equates to a longer process kind of like training. Think training for a half marathon. You don’t get up one morning and run 13.1 miles; you have to work up to it. My first half marathon training was 16 weeks. That was enough time to get my body used to it and for me to realize I really could do it. That feeling of triumph and accomplishment as I crossed the finish line was indescribable.
Since we are still practicing for retirement and full-time RV travel, many of our trips are centered around a lot of activity like water ski trips to the lake, dirt bike riding, hiking, etc. Sometimes I wonder how that will change when our RV is our house instead of our vacation home. I talked with my in-laws about their activity level now that they are a few years into the full-time RV life and they’ve shared that sometimes it’s harder than others to get their steps in. They strive to walk the campground, even looping it, and stay on track for a good stretch of time then slowly they’ll fall away from the plan. Their goal this year is to not only walk and generally move more, but to track it as well. They are using the calendar on their phones and “making a date” to exercise. Mark and I use a similar approach. We are good at making lists and checking things off. He’ll print out an exercise schedule that covers a couple of months in list form. It stays on the counter in either the house or the RV where we can always see it and I draw a big fat line through each exercise we finish.
There are many exercise events across the country all year long that you can participate in. Don’t be intimidated by the words RACE or RUN. The race part only applies to the first three people to finish and you can always walk a run event. One thing you will really like is the sense of community at these events. Everyone is so excited at the beginning and there are so many people cheering you at the finish line as well as people cheering you on the entire course. Big race or small fun-run, people are celebrating each other and we could all use more of that.
You may be thinking there is no way you can run a 5k and that’s okay. But maybe you can work your way to walking one.
First and foremost, make sure it’s okay for you to begin some exercise. Start small. You can begin by walking a few campsites away (or a house or two) and back for a few days then adding a few more for the next several days. Pretty soon you’ll be walking around the campground. After you’re comfortably walking the campground waving at your neighbors (or your neighborhood), then you can start looping the campground (or neighborhood).
If you’re already in the habit of walking for exercise, try increasing your distance and speed if you are able. This will give you a better cardio workout. I use the Nike+ run app to track my miles, pace and calories burned and works just fine for walking as well.
Before you know it you’ll be moving more and feeling better.
Below are some fun exercise events. I encourage you to look in your area for similar events near you to either participate in or volunteer for. For the events that cost money, the cost rises as the event date gets closer. Being the cheap one in our house, I like to pay for it early for two reasons; to save money and to get it on my calendar as a goal to work toward.
Hot Chocolate Race
https://www.hotchocolate15k.com
This is billed as America’s Sweetest Race with good reason. Along with a fabulous sweatshirt when you check in, your reward at the end is a delicious bowl of chocolatey goodness with a cup of hot chocolate, a well of chocolate fondue with yummy things to dip into it. I recommend saving the banana til last so you can use it as a scoop of sorts to get every last drop of fondue. Check out my shirt, it says Will Run For Chocolate. Me to a T.
There are two distances you can do, a 5k which is 3.1 miles or a 15k which is 9.3 miles. It’s a super fun event. We run the Scottsdale race in December and many people dress festive. We’ve seen many elves, reindeer and even a Santa or two at each race. High school groups work as volunteers cheering you on at the water stations and along the route.
They schedule races across the country year round. The cold and snowy areas events are during their better weather and of course Arizona’s best weather is in the winter.
Pat’s Run
This is my favorite run but for an entirely different reason. Pat Tillman played college football at Arizona State University and professionally for the Arizona Cardinals. He enrolled in the Army after the September 11th terrorist attacks and was killed in action in 2002. His family started Pat’s Run as a way to honor his memory and set up the Pat Tillman Foundation awarding college scholarships to returning servicemen and their spouses. This race is their biggest fundraiser. Everything is centered on his ASU number, 42. The run is 4.2 miles and it finishes on the 42-yard line of Sun Devil Stadium. The football team lines the sides of the last 50 yards cheering giving Hi-Fives to the runners as they finish.
Mark and our son Kevin ran the very first race in 2005 and I’m happy to say we’ve only missed a couple since then. Kevin was eight when Pat died and was a hero to Kevin and his friends. Kevin saw a TV commercial about the run and told Mark he wanted to do it. Mark said sure and kind of forgot about it. The night before Kevin reminded him saying, “Dad, Pat’s Run is tomorrow. We’re still doing it, right?” They were two of the 5,500 runners for that inaugural run. Mark’s plan was to run first mile then walk/run the rest. At the one-mile mark they felt good so they ran to the second mile. Mark asked Kevin how he was doing, Kevin said he was fine and they kept running. Once they hit the three-mile mark they told each other they couldn’t stop now and ran the whole thing.
The event has grown to over 30,000 people of all ages, shapes and sizes. There is a special kids 1-mile run in Tempe and several “Honor Runs” across the country. You’ll see servicemen running in combat boots carrying full gear. There are army platoons running in formation along with police and fire academies. For several years I saw the same three guys running in football pads wearing his college and pro jerseys. Since I run this with my camera, I sought them out for a picture. Current servicemen from Luke AFB man the starting corrals. It’s truly a moving experience and I cry every year. Heck, I’m even crying typing right now.
Charity Walks
JDRF walk: https://www2.jdrf.org
Parkinson’s walk: https://movingdaywalk.org
Alzheimer’s walk: https://act.alz.org
Light the Night Cancer walk: http://www.lightthenight.org
Relay for Life: https://secure.acsevents.org
Wherever you are, I encourage you to check out the local charity walks. In our area, most are held on Saturday or Sunday mornings. You can sign up early or that morning when you arrive. Many families will have “teams” supporting their person. It’s a nice family event, you’re getting some exercise and helping a worthy cause. We’ve participated in walks for Cystic Fibrosis, Parkinson’s, Diabetes and Cancer but there are a lot more to choose from. Google “charity walk near me” and check out what’s near you.
Whatever goals you set for this year, I wish you joy in the experience. When you reach your goal, I hope you look back on it with a smile and say “That was fun. Let’s do it again.”