180 Days of Exercise: AKA Endorphinology 101

I’ve decided to recommit myself to exercise—seriously.  So I’m committing to 180 days straight of exercise (including Christmas and New Year’s), excluding Sundays, which I plan on making up by adding all the Sundays I’ll miss and tacking them on as extra weeks to the already projected 26 weeks that 180 days is comprised of.  I think I can make myself do a minimum of 20 minutes a day (preferably more), and I’d like a fair share of that exercise to be running.

I prefer running as an exercise of choice for several reasons, that until recently, I’d kinda forgotten.  I was reacquainted with my fondness for it on Saturday when Glenn and I ran about 4 ½ miles in order to prepare for a race we are running this weekend. We had been running semi-regularly throughout the week, but this was the first time I’d run that far since last fall, when I decided to wimp-out for the winter at the first sign of cold weather (after preparing for a half marathon in 2010 I developed a strong aversion to treadmill running) and I was reminded of how high the payoff is afterward for a good, long run.  Some seven months later I find myself trying to build back atrophied muscles that I neglected, and I’ve rediscovered something I already knew but apparently had forgotten: I love running.  Ya, it’s hard, especially if you have to build up withered muscles and lost endurance; and yes, it causes aches and pains and uncomfortable shortness of breathe sometimes, and ya, there’s a shameful lack of glory involved for me, personally, because I’m about two paces removed from snail speed on the runner’s evolutionary chain J; however, the pay off is a nice endorphinic state (I made up that form of the word, in case you’re wondering ;) ) and a satisfied feeling of renewed physical strength when it’s over.  Everything just feels better at the end of a good run.  Laughter comes more effortlessly, anxiety is easily sublimated, and self-respect is not found wanting—not to mention the energy and feeling of overall good health that running promotes. 

Running just makes me feel good—physically, emotionally.   

So, I’m committing myself to exercising every day for 180 days, with a focus on running 3-4 times a week, doing my best to maintain muscle health with regular strength training on the other days—with a big, bribing pay-off-carrot at the end, to motivate me along the way.  I haven’t decided yet what the reward will be for accomplishing this goal, but I’m going to track my progress regularly to keep myself accountable, and if I slip and happen to miss a day,  I’ll just tack on another day to the final.  And, along the way I’m going to reward myself with smaller carrots, maybe on a monthly or bimonthly basis.  So, if you’ve read this you are now a part of the accountability factor in this equation, which obligates me to some effort.  J  My projected finish date is January 19, 2013.  If you have any suggestions of fun ways to celebrate the completion of all 180 days, throw them my way.