The Payoff for Winter

Time to prune my roses.  A February 15 ritual that signals spring is around the corner, for me anyway. Central Texas may have a few more freezes between now and Easter. There are warmer than cooler days ahead though. My roses know this. Their branches shoot out new leaves each day benefiting from my post run coffee grounds and banana peels the months before. My bird of paradise that I had been hauling inside and out during freezes, finally had a beautiful yellow and purple spathe jutting out from it—the first time it’s bloomed in four years. The milkweed was bunching up for the coming Monarchs. My over-wintering hummingbird was still slurping up my feeder nectar. Spring is shaping up to be the payoff for what I did in winter, yard-wise and running-wise.

Yesterday, I was churning up Congress Avenue, miles three through six, during the Austin Half Marathon. A gradual ascent; there were worse hills, this was the Hill Country after all. These 200 feet seemed to go on forever; especially when I could see all the participants moving up the hill in front of me. All the buoyant expectant conversation around me suddenly quieted in focused effort.  This was serious business. I was half way up the climb when I realized I hadn’t thought about stopping yet.  I checked myself. This wasn’t like me.  I wasn’t huffing and puffing as much or convincing myself walking up it would save my legs later. I wasn’t straining. I was striving. Those long weekend runs to campus and back the past few months were making a difference. Duval was making me stronger. I just hadn’t realized it. When I reached the section where the half marathoners turned back towards downtown and the full runners turned left, I asked myself if I could’ve gone left. Could I have gone farther?  Not today, I told myself, but it’s only 13 miles more if I train. Only 13 more miles? That’s a thought I haven’t had in years and a seed planted for future seasons.

Playing with My Food

Make good choices. This was the first January in a long time where my resolution wasn’t to lose weight. I wanted to feel better. I wanted more energy during my work day, and more energy at home for my running. I kept it simple, focusing on being three things this first month--- intentional, consistent, and enjoyable.

Be intentional.

 

I needed to run my race at my pace. I was a lay athlete as well as a corporate one and I needed energy to do both. I wasn’t dieting, I was fueling. I wasn’t exercising, I was training. Our sports nutritionist told me everything we put into our body has a positive or negative effect; so I focused first on what I was taking into my body.  I meal planned and included as many nutrient dense foods as I could. Planning wasn’t comfortable for this well-seasoned procrastinator. I set my bar low … just start, I told myself. I planned and shopped for a week at a time, concentrating on balance, portion size, and variety. I used the Weight Watchers app to help me track my progress. It helped me gauge portions and track what I was consuming. Sure, I paid for the app; but, it was more about accountability. Calories in and calories out. If I paid for it, I was going to use it; besides, I was a sucker for checking things off and smiley faces.

 

Be consistent.

I chose an eating schedule and stuck to it.  I always ate breakfast and never ate lunch at my desk. I included a piece of fruit and vegetables at every meal. At least half of every lunch and dinner plate was covered with vegetables. I noticed my energy maintained its level during the day and at night, and I also noticed my compost bin filling up with color. I was also consuming most of the produce I bought at the grocery store, nothing was spoiling.

Be enjoyable.

 

I bore easily, so, I couldn’t feel like I was depriving myself. One of my favorite scriptures is “oh taste and see the Lord is good.”  I needed variety and color. I never wanted to feel as if my eating was austere.  I was also a kinesthetic learner. I learned best hands-on. As I cut up and prepped my meals, I began enjoying the process more and more. My cuts were cleaner and more uniform. I liked playing with my food, much like that possum that explored my compost bin. I worked to make my meals, ‘gram-worthy? I asked myself if I’d like to share what my meal looked like. Sometimes, people would walk past my office and say that looked and smelled good; and, these were meat eaters.

There’s still much to work on to do. January is just one of month of twelve. Soon, the gym will be less and less crowded and all the January kick-start program enthusiasm will have faded. Mark Twain once said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” I’m just getting started, making one good choice at a time.