One of the perks about living in New Zealand is the fact that I am living in a relatively active environment where the people here feed of physical fitness. This attitude has definitely invigorated me to become more active that I am regularly which has been great so far, both for my mind and my body. After singing up for a member ship with Les Mills, one of the most popular, yet hilarious gyms in New Zealand (it reminds me a lot of the high powered gym on Dodge ball), I have taken part in many fitness classes and training.
My personal favourite at the gym, Body Attack, is exactly this...and attack on your body. One hour straight of high energy fitness has me sweating like nobody's business, but it is so invigorating!
As part of this new fitness addiction, I ran in Christchurch's "City to Surf", a 12km race that starts at the downtown city center and finishes at the QEII near the beach. I have been running quite a lot but still was not sure how I would fare int he race...it was supposed to be a really hot day, and I LOATHE running in the heat.
I woke up on Sunday morning to beautiful (and hot) weather, and figured that I would just have to try my best. I had set two personal goals for this race:
1. To not stop running for the entire 12 km
2. To beat my estimated time of 1 and a half hours
I began the race, and needless to say, the heat was killer. Luckily enough, the race was signposted almost the entire way with how many kilometers were left over. This, and the observers who stood at the end of their drives with sprinklers, is what kept me going.
As I neared the 10 km mark and there were no postings in sight, I was beginning to feel the challenge of the race. I was very close to taking a walk until I noticed a tiny old lady at the end of her driveway cheering and clapping me on, saying in her small and frail voice" you can do it!". Yes I can, I thought and sprinted for the rest of the way.
I finished the race in 1 hour 2 minutes and 36 seconds, way faster than my original goal, and better yet, didn't walk for any of it.
This race, although only 12 km, was a challenge for me not only physically, but mentally too. By reaching the two goals that I had set, I have reached another goal of self-commitment, and it has done more wonders than any running could ever do!
My personal favourite at the gym, Body Attack, is exactly this...and attack on your body. One hour straight of high energy fitness has me sweating like nobody's business, but it is so invigorating!
As part of this new fitness addiction, I ran in Christchurch's "City to Surf", a 12km race that starts at the downtown city center and finishes at the QEII near the beach. I have been running quite a lot but still was not sure how I would fare int he race...it was supposed to be a really hot day, and I LOATHE running in the heat.
I woke up on Sunday morning to beautiful (and hot) weather, and figured that I would just have to try my best. I had set two personal goals for this race:
1. To not stop running for the entire 12 km
2. To beat my estimated time of 1 and a half hours
I began the race, and needless to say, the heat was killer. Luckily enough, the race was signposted almost the entire way with how many kilometers were left over. This, and the observers who stood at the end of their drives with sprinklers, is what kept me going.
As I neared the 10 km mark and there were no postings in sight, I was beginning to feel the challenge of the race. I was very close to taking a walk until I noticed a tiny old lady at the end of her driveway cheering and clapping me on, saying in her small and frail voice" you can do it!". Yes I can, I thought and sprinted for the rest of the way.
I finished the race in 1 hour 2 minutes and 36 seconds, way faster than my original goal, and better yet, didn't walk for any of it.
This race, although only 12 km, was a challenge for me not only physically, but mentally too. By reaching the two goals that I had set, I have reached another goal of self-commitment, and it has done more wonders than any running could ever do!
1 comment:
You're an inspiration to us all. Im proud to hear about how you beat your goal and by so much. Way to take the bull by the horns, "it's a metaphor." I especially liked the part of the story about the old lady cheering you on.
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