Back again (again): Seeking accountability through vulnerability

Hi, Blog! It's been a minute. I had to re-learn how to use this darn thing - a lot has changed on Blogspot (apparently now "Blogger"?) since July of 2018! July of 2018 was really the end of me doing any purposeful fitness training or even planning. Well - that's not exactly true. I had planned to run 50K in San Francisco to celebrate my 40th birthday. I didn't train. And, fortunately (?) for me San Francisco was smoke-filled during our visit and the race my pals and I intended to do was cancelled. (As was nearly everything we'd planned to do during our visit). Alas, I had to celebrate the big 4-0 with incredible friends on a Napa/Sonoma winery tour instead of running a bunch of hilly miles on trails. 

San Fran for 40

Anyway. I am 43 now. And I have gained no significant fitness since traipsing through those wineries. And, any residual fitness I was able to hang on to for a spell has also disappeared. I am truly at "zero." I have some fairly legitimate excuses. Just before that 40th birthday trip + run that did not include a run I started my job as public defender in Minneapolis - a challenging job that had a steep learning curve. Fitness was just not part of my life at that time. Then, in January of 2019 I started trying to get pregnant (by myself, with an anonymous donor, using intrauterine insemination. It's called being a single mom by choice. SMC. It's a thing). This was an emotional and challenging journey that involved a lot of artificial hormones. Again, fitness was, for the most part, not a part of my life at that time. In August 2019 I was fortunate to get pregnant. Then, of course, I had to carry the damn fetus for 39 weeks and 2 days. During most of that time I went to bed around 7pm and ate a LOT of Dots candy and pie. Then my baby - Max - was born on April 19, 2020 in the midst of a statewide shutdown - Covid, of course - which made for an interesting hospital stay. And, well, now I have a 20 month old and we are back living on my hometown of Duluth, MN. 

There have been brief moments when I've tried to get back into the swing of things. Exhibits A and B are the Peloton bike and treadmill that I now own:

But I have struggled with consistency and commitment and I have been unhealthy, uncomfortable, out-of-shape, and grieving the loss of running and fitness in my life. 

I want it back. So, here I am. Trying again. And, as always, I have a plan. I am nothing if not a planner. And, of course, that plan includes Coach Wendy. It also includes Coach Wendy's best friend: Peloton. Wendy is a full-fledged member of the Cult of Peloton. And, like any compliant cult member, she dragged me in with her. I resisted, mightily. But, long story short - I gave in and I love it. I love the machines. I love the quality of the content. The classes are top notch and the App access is convenient and simple. Between Max, Covid, and just life, it'll be a long time before I join another gym. I've done a lot of videos and on-demand programs through the years, but the whole Peloton universe is just a great fit for me. I am now in the cult. You should join us - you'll love it here. 

Okay! So. Wendy has graciously* agreed to program workouts for me using all and only Peloton content. Why? Because it's fun. And that's the schtick. For cardio, I do workouts on the Tread and the Bike (I am a big fan of power zone rides). Sometimes I do classes and sometimes I use "just ride" or "just bike" so I can listen to my books and tunes. And then I am prescribed a smattering of strength, stretch, barre, yoga, meditation, etc. We "stack" those classes to give me complete workouts. Peloton instructors teach their classes live, but I do classes almost exclusively on-demand. While the competitive part of the Peloton experience is important for many, I have no interest in or focus on the infamous Leaderboard. 

*Okay, but for real: Wendy is a Peloton junky, remember? And she also likes coaching. So though I am exceptionally grateful that she is willing to put her time into doing this for me, I also know she loves doing it.

Here is a snip example of a week of my training: 

The thing I love is that I can program all of these workouts as a stack into my App, and then go seamlessly from one to the next without too much fussing around. Ain't tech grand?

So, here we go! The official start is January 2022. Because, what can I say: I joined the cult. I can't avoid clichés at this point, so I might as well go all in. 

For my fellow cult members, you can follow me at: SaraJane_Duluth. 

Wendy is: Midwest_Wendy. 

Currently, my fave instructors are: Matt W., Denis, Tunde, Jess S, Hannah C. 

And, honestly, I will appreciate any support, feedback, kudos, check-ins, ideas - whatever! I have avoided blogging for a long time because it felt attention-seeking and self-involved. Turns out what it really requires is that I embrace vulnerability in a way that gives me the accountability that I want, that I crave, and that I need.

Oh, and I do have one goal event on the calendar. More on that later.