January 25, 2012
Staying In Shape In The Off Season
By Jess Culver
Lets face it, it’s hard to stay in shape between seasons. It starts when the Halloween candy comes out, gets even worse come Thanksgiving, and hits its peak somewhere between Christmas and New Years. Then, the 1st of the years rolls around and you’re a few pounds guiltier & several pounds heavier. Finding the motivation to shed this weight can be tough; here are some tips I use between seasons.
For me, I know I have to be in good shape when the Rainier season opens, which is probably in the back of a lot of your minds as well. With that in mind, I’ve found that setting smaller goals between big goals really makes the time go by a lot quicker than the alternative: 4-5 days a week on the hamster wheel. I like to sign up for a few running races in the winter & spring. I’ll start small, maybe a 5k, then work up to a 10k and eventually a half-marathon and then the full 26.2. There are countless programs out there that will set you up for success at these races; they work if you’re honest with yourself and stick to the program. And don’t be intimidated by the people that run these races, they are all smiles and are super supportive to all shapes, sizes and speeds. Trust me, you’ll have a blast.
-
- Jess Culver
-
- Jess Culver
This year I completed some of my biggest races yet. I ran a local 30K trail run here in Montana. I drove over to Spokane, WA for my first ever marathon and finished in under 4 hours (goal achieved). And knocked out another marathon a couple weeks ago in Arizona.
Remember: things don’t get easier; you just get better at them.
Jess Culver