Run and Ride to Start the Workout Warrior Year Challenge

So I woke up today, my 39th birthday, early of course, with plans to run and ride my bike, not with a year challenge on my brain.  But funny how things work out.

I'm a traveler, a meteorologist, and a fitness chick.  Yes I've had my obsession moments with fitness like being a kickboxing instructor and training for marathons, 150 mile bike rides and even recently climbed my first 14er (14,000 ft peak), but I'm far from being a fitness fanatic.  That's not what this is about.  I'm never going to be fitness model shape or waif thin like supermodels.  This is about challenging myself to get in the best shape I can in 365, try some new activities, and have fun. 

So I opened the gift from my mom.  Part of it was a pair of earrings by Linda Espy (from Summerville, GA which is close to where my Dad grew up ironically) that are called "Race for the Prize."  She put in the note, "I fell you are always racing and you and Jimmy (that's my brother) were Dad's and Mom's prize."  Sign one of a new journey for me.  This is definitely a case of sometimes you should sit back and let the journey come to you.  She also gave me a novel titled "Hurricanes in Paradise" but that's a whole different story!

So off I go on my run - nothing too major just a nice 30 minute run.  It was really one of those moments of sometimes you just have to wake up and run.  That's all I set out for.  But something starting happening during that 7am run..  Maybe it was the beauty of a quiet sunny Sunday morning with only the sounds of the South Platte River, the beat of a few other runners, and the occasional whisk of a cyclist going by.  My brain was wandering as it usually does on a run but this day is different.  I ponder where I am in life and the biggie birthday of my 40th coming next year.  Since my birthday is the day before the Fourth I'm used to it not really being a big deal but next I want it to be.  So I was trying to figure out what is it that I could do or accomplish to make turning 40 extra special.  My 38th to 39th birthday was such a trying time for me with a lot of life changes.

So since I'm a traveler I decided that instead of my 40th birthday just being a day that it should be a journey.  As I finished my run and grabbed a treat at Starbucks - grande soy latte of course - I geared up for the next activity of the day a bike ride.  I've been sporadic on the bike lately to say the least but I love to ride.  So off I go with plans of one hour on the bike.  You've got to build up seat time!

As I cruise along the Cherry Creek Bike Path it hits me that I should do a Workout Warrior Year to Forty blog.  So here it is.  Guess it's kind of like a food log.  If you write down everything and have to show it to someone then you'll make smart choice!  So on this bike ride I have a "Squirrel!" moment.  If you've seen the movie UP then you know what I'm talking about.  Lucky for the squirrel and me on the bike that the squirrel had a head start.  That happened at mile 6.3.  At my turn around point it was fitting that there was a little rest area over looking the banks, water and trees.

On the way back I stopped on a bridge to take this picture.  It's the perfect omen for this journey.  The water rushes as it runs through the rocks and the trees rustle in the wind as the sunshine shines down.  Hoping that means I'll get faster on the run with longer distances and ride like the wind with a sunny forecast of completing this journey.

So my starting place is a 30 minute jog then a 16.1 mile bike ride in one hour and three minutes averaging 15.2 mph.  Not bad for day one and felt I could go much farther doing both.

This blog is 365 of workouts, activities, and yes there will be some two word blogs - Rest Day as I go on this journey to get in the best shape of my life.

I actually happen to be one of those people who works out to eat.  So it's pretty fitting that after my workout I met a couple of friends for a birthday brunch at Shells and Sauce.  The Benedict Florentine is fantastic!

Of course I told them my blog idea.  And my friends Stacy and Travis made the suggestions of doing lunges all around Wash Park (it's 2.6 miles around!) and doing a Polar Bear Plunge (not exactly sure how that counts a workout...but ok).  So game on for a year of workouts with some being out of the ordinary!

Oh and to the three guys I blew past at 20.2 mph on the bike at around mile 14....I am woman, hear the roar!