My First Half Marathon

I have officially signed up for the NYC United Airlines Half Marathon on March 15th. My first ever– yikes!

Not only will I be running for the personal challenge, I will also be running for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The opportunity to give back to others through one of my biggest passions (all things fitness) is extremely exciting.

When signing up for the 2015 NYC half, I chose the MJF Parkinson’s foundation for two reasons, the first being that its cause has a personal tie to my family. My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his early 60s and has been struggling with this terrible disease for almost 20 years. The pain and sadness it has brought on himself and my family is nothing I would wish for anyone.

My second reason for choosing the MJFF is because the physical effects of Parkinson’s disease have a deeper meaning to me. A huge part of my training involves agility, stability and proper, controlled form. The thought of losing my motor skills and balance makes me feel for those who have lost these abilities, but also motivates me to perfect my form.

For the next 32 days I will be posting my training efforts / diet / and other miscellaneous running factoids here and on my instagram ( @red_rumson ). Feel free to send any tips!

My goal is to finish this half marathon in no more than 2 hours. Here we go.

Muay Thai Challenge: Week Two

Week two is officially complete! Strength and endurance-wise I can definitely feel the progress. Skill-wise, I have a long way to go, but I am definitely learning a lot of great techniques. I think my biggest weakness is keeping my head in the zone. Training sessions have a much faster pace than weight training and are obviously a lot more complex.

I feel like despite all the knees and kicks we do in class, I’m still getting more of an upper boys workout so I’ve decided to throw in a leg day on Fridays or Sundays just to keep my booty in check 🙂

As far as good goes, I was pretty good at keeping clean except for the ass-ton of cake I had for a co-worker’s birthday (oops). It was from Tous Les Jours in Korea Town and only those of you who know what that is will understand.

My roommate’s awesome boyfriend was in town this weekend too so add a few drinks to my list of “cheats” … Oh and pre-dinner white bread (perfect for someone gluten intolerant)… Okay fine- this week was not my finest.

To some of you this may seem crazy. The words “she’s insane, she doesn’t need to lose weight” might be going through your head. But for me, it’s not about that. It’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t commit to it nor will I be where I want to be in the future. I am committed to this challenge so my actions need to reflect that 100%.

Stats for this week:

Weight: 131(morning, before breakfast)
Chest measurement: 36″
Waist measurement: 27″
Lower waist: 31.5″ (down 1/2″- woo!)
Hips: 28″

So, this week is a new week: Week Three aka Week of Redemption. Let’s do this.

PS- not sure why all my progress pics came out so grainy, but this is the best I could get..