Hey All,
It’s been a long time, but The Fit Wanderer is officially back in business. I may have stopped regularly posting (shame on me), but I have definitely been busy challenging myself with new training and new goals.
First of all, I am officially CrossFit obsessed. I joined Reebok CrossFit 5th Ave in December of 2012 and have never looked back since. Not only have my workouts become much more dynamic and varied, but I’ve also made a ton of great friends. More on CrossFit later, but if you’re a skeptic I must say – don’t knock it until you try it. It may seem like a cult from the outside, but once you go, you know that the constant, humbling challenges and the super supportive community of CrossFitters is what makes the experience so wonderfully addicting.
In other news, I’ve also decided to complete the NYRR 9+1 Program this year. Pretty much, any New York Road Runner member who completes at least 9 qualifying races and volunteers to help at one race in 2013 is eligible for guaranteed entry to the 2014 ING New York City Marathon. So far I’ve completed 1 race (Scotland Run 10K in Central Park) and also got my +1 in by volunteering as a race marshal at the More Magazine/ Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon. So obviously, there are quite a few running races in my not so distant future…and I’m pumped.
Speaking of running races, I did something very spontaneous a few weeks back. I signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 18th. That’s 13.1 miles – I’ve never run that far in my life! Well, there’s a first time for everything and although my training time is very limited I did put together a solid plan to get me ready for the big day. I will for sure be scheduling a few long runs in Prospect Park leading up to race day as well – those hills won’t know what hit them!
Finally, I’ve also decided to start incorporating a bit of swimming into my weekly training – just for kicks. I was a competitive swimmer from the ages of 6-18 and I suppose I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. You can take the swimmer out of the pool, but you can never really take the pool out of the swimmer (no really, I think I still sweat out chlorine…). I plan on signing up for a few open water swims this summer, most of which will be down the Jersey Shore. However, I’ve already committed to swim the Brooklyn Bridge 1K Swim between Brooklyn and Manhattan on July 7th – so excited for this. I just need to purchase a wetsuit so most of my body does not have to come in contact with the polluted waters of the East River…
As you can see, I’ve been pretty busy the past few months and plan to keep it that way. But have no fear – I will be posting more frequently to keep you updated on all of these fun new challenges ahead of me – so stay tuned.
Forever Wandering – but back in business.
– Kristen
The Fit Wanderer. 